Steelers Re-Sign JuJu Smith-Schuster: The Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed free-agent wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal with $8 million.
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Steelers Re-Sign JuJu Smith-Schuster
The Steelers re-signed JuJu to keep their promising trio of wide receivers intact. With JJSS, Diontae Johnson, and Chase Claypool, the Steelers have one of the best receiving corps in the NFL. It was important for this to happen for veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who needs all the help he can get at this stage of his career.
JuJu has developed into a dependable option underneath for Big Ben, racking up receptions in the intermediate passing game. It’s hard to believe that the former USC wide receiver is still entering his age-25 season because he plays like a seasoned veteran. JuJu decided to bet on himself with the short-term deal and try to cash in after improved production in 2021.
JuJu caught 97 of 128 targets for 831 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020. The Steelers should remain a pass-heavy offense, so he should be able to at least repeat these numbers in the upcoming season. Big Ben will need to improve on his disappointing season for JuJu to reach his ceiling.
Pittsburgh 2021 NFL Betting Outlook
Pittsburgh is currently listed at (+400) to win the AFC North and (+4000) to win the Super Bowl on BetMGM, but I wouldn’t recommend either of these bets. Instead, I would wait to see how the draft plays out and monitor the team’s season win total.
I would expect Pittsburgh’s win total to end up anywhere between 8 to 9 games.
The Steelers have a great defense that should keep them competitive, but it’s tough to trust Roethlisberger at this stage of his career. Big Ben will be entering his age-39 season, coming off a year where he averaged only 6.3 yards per attempt. The future Hall-of-Famer has devolved into a check-down artist.
Re-signing JuJu is good news for the team outlook, especially considering it was expected that he would sign elsewhere, but I just can’t trust this team with the way Roethlisberger played last year, especially down the stretch. I’d be looking to bet on the under on their season win total.
