Just three wide receivers who were unrestricted free agents this past offseason signed deals that earned more annually than the one that the New England Patriots awarded to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Following a season in Kansas City where he was a receiver for Patrick Mahomes, Smith-Schuster signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract to move to Foxborough.
After a few months, it seems that the Patriots no longer consider Smith-Schuster to be among the top five pass catchers on the squad. This comes after Smith-Schuster caught 4 of 7 targets for 33 yards while only playing 54% of the team’s snaps in a Week 1 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, according to a report from The Boston Herald.
Compared to both Kendrick, Smith-Schuster ran fewer routes (29).
Smith-Schuster ran fewer routes (29) than both Kendrick Bourne (56) and rookie sixth-rounder pick Kayshon Boutte (45) in Week 1, and outrouted sixth-rounder Demario Douglas (27) by only two. Late in the game, when the Patriots were driving for a potential game-winning score, he was not out on the field with the first offense.
There were reports throughout the offseason that Smith-Schuster was dealing with a knee injury, and last week Sports Illustrated reported that Smith-Schuster’s knee “is a mess” and “could explode at any point,” which motivated the Patriots to keep additional receivers on the 53-man roster.
Asked about Smith-Schuster’s health, Bill Belichick was characteristically mum, noting, “You know what the injury report was, with the injuries during the game and all that. So that’s the best I can tell you.”
Whether it’s due to health, performance, or trust of the coaching staff, it seems Smith-Schuster is falling behind in the pecking order among New England’s receivers. When DeVante Parker comes back from his injury, he should be ahead of Smith-Schuster as well. Throw in tight ends Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki, plus running back Rhamondre Stevenson, and it seems like there are quite a few players the team can rely on more than him at the moment.
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