Kansas City Chiefs Sign WR Juju Smith-Schuster After Release From New England

On Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs announced a reunion with Juju Smith-Schuster. The wide receiver signed a one-year deal with the two-time defending Super Bowl champs after being released from the final year of his contract with the New England Patriots.

Smith-Schuster led the Chiefs in receiving when the team won the title in 2022, helping him earn a three-year $25 million contract with the Patriots in free agency. However, his time in Foxborough did not go as expected. The wide-out never gelled with the carousel of quarterbacks sent out by the Patriots, and he battled injuries. New head coach Jerod Mayo decided to focus on the young receiving core and released Smith-Schuster from the two years of his contract a couple of weeks ago.

The Chiefs did not let him stay on the open market for long, and Smith-Schuster returned to a team looking to win its third straight title.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes saw an overhaul to his pass-catching group this off-season as head coach Andy Reid brought in Hollywood Brown from the Arizona Cardinals and drafted former Texas WR Xavier Worthy, who ran the fastest 40-yard dash in NFL combine history, in the first round. Along with these three new players, the Chiefs bring back TE Travis Kelce and second-year pro Rashee Rice.

Schuster made himself comfortable back in Kansas City, dawning his usual #9 and hitting the practice field on his first day. The Chiefs are opening the season at home against the Baltimore Ravens during the Thursday night NFL home opener.

The 27-year-old was drafted out of USC in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played five seasons in the Steel City, eclipsing 1,000 yards once. The Steelers let him go, and he signed with the Chiefs, where he finished the season with 933 yards. His lone season in New England did not look like the others, as he only suited up for 11 games and finished with 260 yards.