"He showed that he’s quite important for this offense" - Steelers insider urges team to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster 

Following a 9-7-1 season that included a playoff appearance, the Steelers are at a crossroads with the direction they are headed moving forward during what looks like a rebuild process.

One important question heading into next season is what will the team do with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster?

Steelers insider Mark Kaboly thinks the Steelers will have to offer more than a one-year deal this season to retain Smith-Schuster.

"Would they be willing to do more than a one-year deal with Smith-Schuster? This is for sure: He wouldn’t be willing to come back on a one-year deal. Even though he was hurt the majority of the season, he showed that he’s quite important for this offense," Kaboly observed.

Last offseason, JuJu Smith-Schuster signed a one-year deal with the Steelers

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Just a year ago, Smith-Schuster was in the same position he's in now, entering free agency as a free agent. While not receiving the franchise tag from Pittsburgh, he tested the market but elected to remain a Steeler.

Smith-Schuster took a hometown discount and signed a one-year, $8 million deal to remain with the Steelers. Interestingly enough, he turned down more money from the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens.

Part of Smith-Schuster's decision to return to the Steelers on a team-friendly deal was the prescence of Big Ben. With no more Ben Roethlisberger and Kevin Colbert, their GM who will be stepping down in May, it'll take more than a one-year deal to retain Smith-Schuster.

Smith-Schuster's 2021-2022 season ended prematurely as he suffered a shoulder injury in Week 5 that ended his season. He was able to return in the playoffs when the Steelers played the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round, where Pittsburgh lost 42-21.

Before suffering the injury, Smith-Schuster didn't have much of a productive season. In five games played in 2021, he recorded 15 receptions for 129 yards and no touchdowns. You would think that after suffering a significant injury and an unproductive year, he would be open to signing another one-year deal with Pittsburgh, but that's highly unlikely as the don't have the luxury pieces to keep him at a cheap price.

This doesn't rule out the possibility that another team could sign him to a more lucrative one-year deal. The free agency class of receivers isn't too deep, so a team may be willing to take a flyer on Smith-Schuster at a higher cost than the Steelers.