For the second straight week, a former fan favorite in the city of Pittsburgh is making a return to his adopted hometown to take on his former team in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Last week, it was Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner, who ultimately had a great day while rushing for 104 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-10 Cardinals’ win. This week, it’s New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster making his first return to the North Shore as an opponent.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday from the Patriots’ locker room ahead of the Thursday Night Football matchup against the Steelers, Smith-Schuster stated he is excited to come back to Pittsburgh, but that his focus is on just winning the football game first and foremost, at least right now.
“I am excited. First time going back. It will be cool to see Mike Tomlin and play against those boys, but just go out there and get a win,” Smith-Schuster said, according to video via Patriots.com.
Smith-Schuster was a second-round pick of the Steelers in the 2017 NFL Draft coming out of Southern California. In Pittsburgh, he became a household name on and off the field.
On the field, Smith-Schuster was a force, doing great work opposite Antonio Brown his first two seasons in the league. In 2017 and 2018, Smith-Schuster had 169 receptions for 2,343 yards and 14 touchdowns. In 2018 he broke out in a major way with 111 receptions for 1,493 yards and seven touchdowns, earning Steelers’ MVP honors.
Once Brown left though, things fell off for Smith-Schuster slightly, especially while dealing with injuries. He bounced back in 2020 though, hauling in 97 receptions for 831 yards and nine touchdowns. He signed a one-year deal with the Steelers after that to play in Ben Roethlisberger’s final season, but a shoulder injury knocked him out for the year early.
To his credit, Smith-Schuster made a remarkable recovery and fought his way back to play in the AFC Wild-Card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, a team that would become his next destination.
With the Chiefs in 2022, Smith-Schuster came on strong late, finishing with 78 receptions for 933 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 10 receptions for 89 yards in the playoffs, drawing a key holding penalty on Philadelpha’s James Bradberry in the Super Bowl, lifting the Chiefs to a Super Bowl win.
Following his one-year stint in Kansas City, Smith-Schuster signed a three-year, $33 million deal with the Patriots in free agency. It was a curious fit, and it’s been a tough season for the former standout receiver. He’s battled injuries and poor quarterback play and has just 25 receptions for 170 yards and one touchdown on the season.
“JuJu Smith-Schuster, obviously we’re very familiar with him. Tough guy, football player, got a lot of respect for JuJu,” Tomlin said to reporters Monday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on Monday, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “I know he’s been limited in some ways due to injury, but I hadn’t followed it very closely to speak on it in that way, particularly from an evaluation perspective. But got a lot of respect for him in the quality of work that he provided us when he was here and the type of player and teammate he was when he was here.”
It will surely be an emotional return for Smith-Schuster. He had five good years in Pittsburgh, making a number of plays for the Black and Gold and was a favorite of Ben Roethlisberger’s during his time in the Steel City.
Hopefully the Steelers can find a way to limit him, unlike what happened with Conner last week. No more happy homecomings, please.
