JuJu Smith-Schuster nearly joined the Chiefs a year ago. Now, he's finally packing his bags for Kansas City.
Smith-Schuster is signing a one-year, $10.75 million max deal with the Chiefs, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Taylor Bisciotti reported. The deal is for a $3 million base salary, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported, with the remainder potentially coming in incentives.
Smith-Schuster heads west after struggling through his worst season as a pro, a campaign in which the receiver caught just 15 passes for 129 yards in five games. He'd returned to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal for one last pursuit of a title with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but was unable to play a meaningful role due to injury while the Steelers clawed their way to a playoff berth.
Smith-Schuster was able to return for Pittsburgh's wild-card playoff game and caught five passes for 26 yards in a blowout loss to Kansas City. Now, he'll begin forging a new relationship with superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes as part of Kansas City's explosive offense.
At his best, Smith-Schuster can be a highly productive No. 2 receiver in the right offense. He racked up 1,425 yards and seven touchdowns in 2018 while playing alongside Antonio Brown in Pittsburgh, but has fallen short of 900 yards in every year since.
He'll certainly have quality running mates in Kansas City, where the Chiefs are working on an extension for Tyreek Hill and also have Travis Kelce and Mecole Hardman in their pass-catching corps.
