Patriots JuJu Smith-Schuster Signing: 'Stuck In Neutral'?

Is the New England Patriots' signing of JuJu Smith-Schuster a "winning move?"

The first official day of the NFL's new league year was jam-packed with movement. The New England Patriots were among the teams to make impactful moves, signing former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith Schuster.

Just one day removed from former top wideout Jakobi Meyers agreeing to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders on a three-year, $33 million contract, the Pats inked Smith-Schuster to a deal of eerily similar components to that of Meyers’ pact with the ‘silver and black.’ 

The move caused NFL.com to rank the Patriots offense as "stuck in neutral."

It was odd seeing

JuJu Smith-Schuster

sign in New England for virtually the same money (three years, $25 million, up to $33 million with incentives) that

Jakobi Meyers

received from the Raiders (three years, $33 million). As Meyers said on Twitter on Wednesday,

it's a cold world

.

The Patriots clearly decided that Smith-Schuster was a better player. Smith-Schuster is more injury-prone, but he's also more dynamic after the catch. They are both good receivers whom I struggled to choose between when making my

Top 101 free agents list

. It makes sense they got basically the same deal, but it's curious the Pats didn't stick with the player they know, especially when their record identifying wideouts from outside the organization (or in the draft) is so spotty.

Combine the Smith-Schuster move with the re-signing of a few defensive players and the addition of a couple journeyman tackles (

Riley Reiff

and

Calvin Anderson

), and it feels like the Patriots are stuck in place while the rest of the AFC East gets better.

Though comparable, the deals were not identical. The bonus/guaranteed money in Meyers’ offer from Las Vegas was more than what the Patriots were offering. Now, the Patriots’ pass-catching plans under new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien shifts to the six-year veteran Smith-Schuster. 

Smith-Schuster signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Chiefs in the 2022 offseason. He finished the year with 78 receptions for 933 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. In Kansas City's 38-35 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, Smith-Schuster caught seven passes for 53 yards.

New England is banking for similar stats in 2023 as Smith-Schuster will likely become quarterback Mac Jones top target. The Patriots currently have the worst-odds to win the AFC East division and undoubtedly need to be better offensively to compete with the likes of the Buffalo Bills. New England hopes the receiver move is an upgrade to help their offense from "neutral" to "full-go."

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