JuJu Smith-Schuster on Returning to Chiefs, Fit in WR Room

After a year away from Kansas City, Smith-Schuster is glad to be back where he won his first Super Bowl.

Jan 21, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) celebrates after defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC divisional round game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

With the NFL's cutdown deadline for 53-man rosters in the books, the Kansas City Chiefs have settled on a wide receiver group for the 2024 season. Contrary to what many expected just a handful of days ago, the unit includes an old friend from the 2022-23 campaign.

JuJu Smith-Schuster has officially signed with the back-to-back Super Bowl champs less than two years removed from his last game with the club. Following his brief one-year stint with the New England Patriots, the former second-rounder ended up back on the market this month and chose the Chiefs.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Smith-Schuster detailed his last week-plus.

"Obviously, I got released by New England," Smith-Schuster said. "Pretty much just talking to teams and seeing what options felt best. Coming here was probably the best for me and my career."

He also explained why he picked Kansas City, somewhere he called a "very special" place to be.

"Just very familiar with the offense," Smith-Schuster said. "Very familiar with Andy Reid, Pat (Mahomes), the guys. Just being in this facility kind of makes your job easier than going to somewhere new where you've kind of got to learn everything pretty quickly. I think the hardest part for an offensive player is going to a new system and having to study a whole new playbook. Being in New England, I studied two offensive playbooks. Being familiar with this playbook, yeah."

To say Smith-Schuster didn't quite live up to his contract in New England would be an understatement. Inked to a three-year deal worth $25 million, he played in just 11 regular-season games and hauled in 29 passes for 260 yards. Injuries and inconsistency plagued him, as did a lack of quality surrounding talent and some poor quarterback play. During the offseason, however, the Patriots reloaded a bit at wide receiver by selecting talented players like Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. In turn, that made Smith-Schuster more expendable.

The Chiefs' return on their investment remains to be seen. Smith-Schuster is no longer the player he was in 2022 when he had over 900 receiving yards, but they don't need him to be. He'll almost surely slot in as the club's fourth, fifth, sixth or even seventh wide receiver this year. At the top, the trio of Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, Rashee Rice and rookie Xavier Worthy figures to eat up plenty of snaps. Justin Watson, Skyy Moore and Mecole Hardman, all of whom Smith-Schuster was teammates with in 2022, are also in the mix.

With that said, Smith-Schuster still offers some redeeming qualities. Not only is he a tremendous locker room influence, but he has a preexisting chemistry with Mahomes and understands the system well. Additionally, he's adept at settling into soft spots on the field and creating advantages against zone coverage. Even if he's somewhat of a shell of himself moving forward, the team's low-risk move doesn't require much production to be deemed worth it.

It's a different set of circumstances for Smith-Schuster this time around. He understands that he'll be more of a cog in the machine than the main piece, and he seems excited to see everything come together in his second run with the Chiefs.

"Man, you've got speed down the field, great hands," Smith-Schuster said. "Last year, me watching Rice, Rashee, he's kind of the position I played the year I was here. It was very cool to see how those guys used him in that way [and] in that form. Being able to just see that coming in and be a leader in that room, being a vet in the room. Just being able to help those young guys out. Yesterday was my first practice and just being able to see Worthy run, that was pretty impressive. He was just floating across the field. It's pretty cool [having] a guy like him who can open up the offense."

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