Patriots give up on Juju Smith-Schuster after one season: Could the Chiefs or Bills target former Pro Bowler?

The New England Patriots have surprisingly given up on one-time Pro Bowler Juju Smith-Schuster after just one season. However, he is unlikely to stay unemployed for long and could land with an AFC rival.

Last spring, former Pittsburgh Steelers star Juju Smith-Schuster was one of the notable free-agent signings the Patriots made. The hope was that the one-time Super Bowl winner could help elevate an offense that struggled the previous season. Unfortunately, injuries limited him to just 11 games and seven starts in a disastrous showing in 2023.

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Heading into training camp, there was an expectation that he could become a top target for whatever player won the starting quarterback job this summer. Yet, things did not materialize as some hoped, and according to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler , the Patriots decided to cut the 27-year-old on Friday.

The move is surprising because the Patriots will have close to $10 million in dead cap space after releasing Smith-Schuster, and whatever team signs him will likely get him on a league-minimum deal. That is why despite losing some explosion due to a recent knee injury, he still may draw interest from several teams.

Juju Smith-Schuster stats (2023): 11 games 29 catches, 290 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 9.0 yards per catch

Could Chiefs and Bills target former Patriots receiver Juju Smith-Schuster?

One organization that is likely to kick the tires on Juju Smith-Schuster is the Kansas City Chiefs. He has 78 catches and nearly 1,000 yards receiving in his lone season in Missouri. That ended with the Chiefs winning their first of back-to-back Super Bowls. The organization did not add any new veteran receivers in the offseason and a reunion for a team-friendly price makes sense.

Another team that could reach out to Smith-Schuster’s representative is Patriots rivals the Buffalo Bills. They traded away Stefon Diggs earlier this year and will be going with a passing success-by-committee approach in 2024. Taking a flier on the 2018 Pro Bowler might be worth the risk to see if they can squeeze out another good year from the player who once posted over 1,400 yards in a season.

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