"It's been real Pitt" - JuJu Smith-Schuster's cryptic Instagram story fuels rumors he's leaving Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Steelers wide-receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster may be headed out of the Steel City.

On January 31st, the Pittsburgh receiver posted the following cryptic message on Instagram possibly referring to leaving Pittsburgh in free agency:

"It's been real Pitt!"

Smith-Schuster is set to become a free agent once the offseason begins. When his rookie deal ended after the 2020 season, he hit the free agent market and perhaps looks to join a new team.

Last offseason, he fielded offers from many teams and narrowed his choices down to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens and the Steelers. The Chiefs and the Ravens offered him more money, but he decided to sign a one-year, $8 million deal to return for another year in Pittsburgh.

Interestingly enough, Smith-Schuster became just the third Steelers player in the modern-day era to sign a second contract with Pittsburgh (Hines Ward and Antonio Brown being the others).

One of the primary reasons for his return to Pittsburgh was because he wanted to play with legendary teammate Ben Roethlisberger one last time.

Smith-Shuster had a down year last season, recording 15 catches for 129 yards with zero touchdowns in five games played. His season was cut short due to a shoulder injury that kept him on the sidelines for a significant portion of the regular season.

Smith-Schuster made his return for the Wild-Card playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He recorded five catches for 26 yards on eight targets in the 42-21 playoff loss.

With the Steelers looking to rebuild as they search for their next franchise quarterback, that could very well have been his last game in black and yellow.

JuJu Smith Schuster's career in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Steelers v Los Angeles Chargers

If this is the end for JuJu as a Steelers player, then he can hold his head high as he had a good five-year run in Pittsburgh. He was drafted in the second round of the 2017 draft out of USC.

In his rookie season, he recorded 58 receptions for 917 yards and seven touchdowns. In the same season, he also recorded the longest touchdown reception of the year (97 yards) against the Denver Broncos.

JuJu also had nine kick returns for 240 yards and a touchdown.

His best season came in his second year in the league. He recorded a career high in receptions with 111 and 1,426 receiving yards. The young receiver hit a decline in his last three seasons, failing to eclipse 1,000 yards in each of those three seasons.

In the last two seasons, he has averaged 8.6 yards per catch.