Is JuJu Sending Signals?

The Miami Dolphins could have an interest in pending free agent wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and it appears the interest could be mutual

Alain Poupart | Mar 11, 2021

The Miami Dolphins have been connected to a lot of pending free agent wide receivers these past few weeks, one of them being JuJu Smith-Schuster.

If folks are inclined to read into things and caught wind of social media freeze frames, maybe Smith-Schuster sent out a strong signal Wednesday night that he wouldn't mind ending up in Miami himself.

Smith-Schuster used social media to connect with fans while he was playing a video game and he did so with the tag MARCH 17, FREE MAN.

March 17, of course, is the date the 2021 NFL league year starts, which is when unrestricted free agents are free to officially sign with another team.

The character that Smith-Schuster was controlling in the game was captured wearing a Dolphins jersey with the number 19. So there's that.

But here's the thing: Smith-Schuster also wore jerseys from other teams during the two-hour-plus twitch event, including the Green Bay Packers, the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and even his current team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The bottom line is that Smith-Schuster seems to be relishing the idea of his pending free agency.

And that also is not to say that the Dolphins won't eventually sign Smith-Schuster, who will be one of the many interesting options should Miami use free agency to upgrade the wide receiver position.

Smith-Schuster finished the 2020 season with 97 catches and nine touchdowns, though he averaged only 8.6 yards per reception as the Steelers turned to a quick-passing offense.

A second-round pick in the 2017 draft, Smith-Schuster had a huge season in 2018 when he caught 111 passes for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns and earned his first and only Pro Bowl invitation.

He had a 97-yard touchdown in each of his first two seasons.

We discussed Smith-Schuster at length in an earlier post.

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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 as an editor for Dolphin Digest, write for miamidolphins.com and now publisher of SI All Dolphins. You can follow him on Twitter at @apoupartFins.

ADDITIONAL READING

-- Is Pitts a Possibility at Number 3?

-- Watch Out for Waddle

-- An Alternative Approach to Dolphins Draft

Published Mar 11, 2021

ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.