Ex-Patriot JuJu Smith-Schuster Returns to the Super Bowl Champs

The New England Patriots released JuJu Smith-Schuster earlier this month. It ended his tenure with the team after only one season. Now, Smith-Schuster is returning to one of his former NFL homes, the Kansas City Chiefs. He helped the Chiefs win Super Bowl 57 the season before signing with the Patriots.

Smith-Schuster is a low-risk signing for Kansas City. Despite making the Pro Bowl back in 2018 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the wideout is still only 27 years old. He played only one season with the Chiefs after his first five seasons with the Steelers. In that 2022 season, Smith-Schuster caught 78 passes for 933 yards and three touchdowns. He caught 10 passes for 89 yards in the postseason and collected his first Super Bowl ring.

New England signed Smith-Schuster in free agency. He struggled to get healthy (knee), stay healthy, and produce. In 11 games, JuJu Smith-Schuster finished with 29 receptions for 260 yards and one touchdown. He entered training camp this season saying he was “loving the locker room vibes” and declaring himself fully healthy. But the veteran never showed enough in camp to convince the team not to give the younger wide receivers in the room a longer look instead.

According to Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan, the transaction does have some financial benefits for New England, though the specifics of his deal are not yet known.

JuJu Smith Schuster’s 2024 dead money is $9,633,333. The Patriots will receive a credit in 2025 for any cash he may receive from another team in 2024. Max credit = $7M. His 2025 dead money = $2,633,334

— Patscap (@patscap) August 9, 2024

JuJu Smith-Schuster going from the New England Patriots to the Kansas City Chiefs allows him to team up with Patrick Mahomes again and try to help them become the first NFL team to win three straight Super Bowls.