30 NFL stars who could retire after the 2024 season

23. JuJu Smith-Schuster, New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have the weirdest wide receiver room in the league. They don’t have a number one receiver, but they have like seven players who could be a two or a three on different teams. They re-signed Kendrick Bourne this offseason, who will likely act as a number one. DeMario Douglas showed flashes last season but was hardly consistent. They used their second-round pick on Washington wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk. They also have K.J. Osborn, Javon Baker, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, Jaheim Bell, and Jalen Raegar. That’s a laundry list of short upside.

Then there’s JuJu Smith-Schuster. The former star is currently listed as the fifth wide receiver on the depth chart. The Patriots already made the move to cut DeVante Parker despite owing him all of his money. Then, he signed with the Eagles before surprisingly retiring. It shows that the Patriots are willing to make moves just to put the roster in check. It’s telling that Smith-Schuster is still in the building.

The Patriots gave Smith-Schuster $12 million per year last offseason. He didn’t have a great run with the Chiefs, but he has a history of production and he’s still very young. He’s just 27 years old, so his appearance on this list might be a huge surprise.

However, this is the feeling that we had with Victor Cruz, who burst onto the scene unexpectedly for the Giants only to see his star fade after a few years. Cruz lasted seven years in the league (although he was older), and Smith-Schuster is going into his eighth season. Despite his age, going for just 290 yards is not sustainable in the NFL.