JuJu Smith-Schuster Can't See Himself Wearing A Rams Jersey Anytime Soon
One of the biggest free agents on the market this offseason is former USC Trojan JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Smith-Schuster has spent the past four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and has quickly made a name for himself in the NFL.
Since being drafted back in 2017, the dynamic wideout has played in 58 games, had 308 receptions, 3,726 yards, and 26 touchdowns. He also had a career high of nine touchdowns in 2020.
There has been some chatter since the Super Bowl wrapped up, that multiple teams are interested in acquiring Smith-Schuster this offseason. However the former USC Trojan has made his position clear, that he wants to remain in Pittsburgh.
TMZ Sports interviewed the former Troy wideout in Los Angeles about his desires going into free agency and Smith-Schuster said, "to be home, [and] close to family would be cool. But at the end of the day I want to have my legacy in Pittsburgh and retire there. I don't want to leave." The Southern California native was asked if he had any desire to move closer to home and play for a local team like the Los Angeles Rams or Chargers, and said, "not right now [or] until I actually get let go. Other than that I'm Pittsburgh for life."
This isn't the first time Smith-Schuster was vocal about his offseason wants, last week the wideout appeared on the first episode of Yinzhers Podcast, to discuss his future in the NFL.
"In all consideration, I would love to stay with the Steelers," Smith-Schuster said when asked about his free agency decision. "I would love to stay with them. But right now, we're up in the air waiting. It's like playing chess, waiting to see where the pieces go, and from there, I'll decide."
"I do want to play for a team that plays for a Super Bowl every year, that competes. Obviously, the Steelers are that. I do want to play with a great quarterback, not knowing what Ben [Roethlisberger]'s going to do. And I do want to be paid a reasonable price for what I'm worth.
"In all consideration, I would love to stay with the Steelers."
Smith-Schuster officially hits the open market on March 17. According to spotrac.com the 24 year-old signed a four year, $4,195,779 deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2017 which included a $1,191,475 signing bonus, $1,847,192 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $1,048,945.
It's likely that JuJu will want a serious salary increase as he is expected to be one of the most expensive players entering free agency this year. The question remains will Pittsburgh be able to afford him?
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