As more and more highly-talented wide receivers enter in the NFL year after year via the college route, it sure seems to be watering down the free agent market at the position.
That’s especially tough news for guys coming off of serious injuries and entering the free agent market like JuJu Smith-Schuster, D.J. Chark, Will Fuller V, and even longtime veterans like T.Y. Hilton, AJ Green, Sammy Watkins, and DeSean Jackson.
As he enters his second foray into free agency, Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster may see a reduced market once again, especially after missing all but five games last season due to a shoulder injury before shockingly returning for the Steelers’ Wild Card round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Typically a tough, reliable slot option, Smith-Schuster might find it hard to land a lucrative offer once again, which lands him on the “underpriced” list of NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal, highlighting Smith-Schuster as a free agent addition that could provide more bang for his buck compared to some higher-priced receivers.
“JuJu is a young player with a history of production, and his status as a post-hype all-star will keep his price down,” Rosenthal writes. “That’s exactly the type of free agent to target. Antonio Brown’s burns weren’t completely off-base; Smith-Schuster was never a No. 1 wideout. But he’d be an elite slot receiver at a bargain basement price.”
That bargain basement price is likely to be accurate once again, as Pro Football Focus projects Smith-Schuster to receiver a one-year, $8 million deal with $6.5 million guaranteed, which is pretty similar to the deal Smith-Schuster landed from the Steelers last offseason, making a return to Pittsburgh (again) all the more possible.
Though the shot at Smith-Schuster from Antonio Brown being brought up again by Rosenthal as a sort of drive-by is unnecessary, it’s safe to say Smith-Schuster isn’t a true No. 1 wide receiver in today’s NFL. That doesn’t make him any less valuable, considering all he brings to the table from a toughness, leadership and dependability standpoint.
If he doesn’t return to the Steelers, whichever team signs him in free agency is going to get a bargain on the open market, and a darn good receiver to boot.
