Best Potential Landing Spots for JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2022 NFL Free Agency

Most of the football world is focused on the upcoming Super Bowl LVI matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams. However, free agency is right around the corner as well.

The 30 teams not participating in the Super Bowl are already paying close attention to the looming market. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster should draw a fair bit of interest when free agency begins on March 16.

Smith-Schuster isn't going to garner as much attention as, say, Davante Adams. The Green Bay Packers wideout has become a perennial Pro Bowler, while Smith-Schuster hasn't been to the Pro Bowl since 2018. However, he still should be one of the top receiver targets in free agency.

Though he missed much of the season with a shoulder injury, Smith-Schuster battled back to start in Pittsburgh's playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. While he had only 129 receiving yards in five games during the regular season, he had 831 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020.

Smith-Schuster might be inclined to return to Pittsburgh to help the next Steelers quarterback in the wake of Ben Roethlisberger's retirement. However, the 25-year-old may be planning to move on.

"It's been real, Pitt!" he said on Instagram (h/t Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports).

Where might Smith-Schuster wind up next? Here, you'll find a look at six potential landing spots based on factors like team need, supporting cast, 2022 outlook and projected cap space.

Teams are listed in alphabetical order.

The Steelers might not know who their next starting quarterback will be, but the Chicago Bears do. The Bears traded up to take former Ohio State signal-caller Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 draft.

While Fields only showed occasional glimpses of promise as a rookie in 2021—he threw seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions and posted a 73.2 passer rating—Chicago has plenty to offer Smith-Schuster. 

While he isn't likely to command a big-money, long-term deal due to last year's injury and limited production, he won't be a true bargain option. Pro Football Focus projects Smith-Schuster to sign a one-year deal worth $8 million. Meanwhile, Chicago is projected to have $30.2 million in cap space.

Fields has a lot of untapped upside, though it will be up to new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to unlock it. Getsy spent the last three years as Aaron Rodgers' quarterbacks coach in Green Bay, so Chicago has a reason to be hopeful.

In Chicago, Smith-Schuster would benefit from playing alongside budding star Darnell Mooney. Smith-Schuster's production fell off after his Pro Bowl season serving as Antonio Brown's running mate, but he had 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns in 2018. With the Bears, he wouldn't be asked to fill the No. 1 role.

And with Allen Robinson II also headed to free agency, Chicago could use another quality perimeter target opposite Mooney.

The Dallas Cowboys are a long shot to land Smith-Schuster because of the the their financial situation. Dallas is projected to be $21.2 million over the cap this offseason.

However, wideout Amari Cooper could be a potential cap casualty. He caught only 68 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns this past season, and he's set to carry a cap hit of $22 million in 2022. The Cowboys could save $16 million by cutting or trading Cooper prior to June 1.

If Dallas does dump Cooper and finds ways to free up even more cap room, it could be a terrific landing spot for Smith-Schuster. Wideout Michael Gallup and tight end Dalton Schultz are both set to become free agents in March, so the Cowboys could need more pass-catching help regardless of what happens with Cooper.

Meanwhile, Smith-Schuster sounds intrigued by the idea of catching passes from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and playing at AT&T Stadium.

"He's a great quarterback. Catching balls from him in a facility like this, I wouldn't mind it," Smith-Schuster said at a 7-Eleven event, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

A few financial dominoes would have to fall for this potential pairing to pan out, but it would make perfect sense on the field. Both Smith-Schuster and Lamb can thrive in the slot, but Lamb played only 32.3 percent of his snaps in the slot this past season, according to Player Profiler, and amassed 1,102 yards and six touchdowns.

Dallas would have little trouble making Lamb its new No. 1 perimeter target and using Smith-Schuster inside.

Smith-Schuster is only 25 years old, so he would make a ton of sense for a rebuilding team like the Detroit Lions.

The Lions went 3-13-1 this past season, but they showed a lot of fight down the stretch. Over the final nine games of the season, Detroit upset the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals and tied the Steelers.

With nearly $24 million in projected cap space, Detroit should have little trouble making a play for Smith-Schuster. The Lions also need another quality target to pair with 2021 rookie surprise Amon-Ra St. Brown.

St. Brown caught at least eight passes in each of his final six games and finished his rookie season with 90 catches for 912 yards and five touchdowns. He figures to earn plenty of defensive attention moving forward, which should give a No. 2 like Smith-Schuster frequent one-on-one opportunities if he were to join Detroit.

In turn, Smith-Schuster could help elevate the Lions' passing attack. Despite having St. Brown shine late in the year, Detroit ranked only 24th in net yards per pass attempt. No other wideout topped 600 receiving yards for the Lions.

Like Chicago and Dallas, the Lions could use receiving help, but they could instantly pair Smith-Schuster with a potent young pass-catcher.

While many teams could pair Smith-Schuster with one terrific receiver, the Chiefs could potentially pair him with two tremendous pass-catchers, Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce, plus a potent third option in Mecole Hardman.

Yet Kansas City has continually looked for another complementary receiver—hence this year's Josh Gordon experiment—and came close to landing Smith-Schuster last offseason.

"Andy Reid was just calling me and he was sending me Lombardi Trophy pictures like constantly. We had a good talk, so it would've been K.C. after the Steelers," Smith-Schuster said on the Michael Irvin Podcast (h/t Nick Shook of NFL.com).

Kansas City has to be an alluring option for Smith-Schuster. While the Chiefs fell short in this year's AFC title game, they should be Super Bowl contenders again next season. They also have one of the game's best young gunslingers in Patrick Mahomes.

Even if Smith-Schuster became a third option at receiver, he'd have a prime opportunity to increase his market value. Current No. 3 receiver Byron Pringle, who is also headed into free agency, had 568 yards and five touchdowns in 2021.

However, Smith-Schuster might have to take a below-market deal and bet on his 2023 free-agent value rebounding, as the Chiefs are projected to have only $5.1 million in cap space. Otherwise, the Chiefs would have to get a little creative financially. 

The Las Vegas Raiders might be the perfect landing spot for Smith-Schuster. They have a Pro Bowl quarterback in Derek Carr, they were a playoff team this past season, and they have enough cap room ($21.4 million) to make Smith-Schuster a fair offer.

The Raiders have great targets in Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller. However, they could use another receiver with breakaway ability like Smith-Schuster to pair with that trio and Carr.

Las Vegas parted with 2020 first-round pick Henry Ruggs III following his November arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence resulting in death and reckless driving stemming from a car crash that killed a woman. Smith-Schuster isn't the pure deep threat that Ruggs was, but he'd be a fine downfield complement to Edwards, Renfrow and Waller.

Before Roethlisberger seemingly lost his ability to consistently throw the long ball in 2020, Smith-Schuster averaged 13.7 yards per reception. He had catches of 97 yards in each of his first two seasons.

With longtime New England Patriots offensive guru Josh McDaniels coming in as head coach, the Raiders would have little trouble finding a role for Smith-Schuster.

Smith-Schuster may have bid Pittsburgh farewell, but that doesn't mean his departure will be permanent. He's stated that he'll "most likely" test free agency, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, but the free-agent road could lead him back to the Steelers.

Although the Steelers have a mountain of uncertainty at quarterback, winning has been a constant in Pittsburgh since Mike Tomlin took over as head coach in 2007. They have never had a losing season under Tomlin.

Smith-Schuster would already have chemistry with the vast majority of his teammates if he returned to Pittsburgh, and he's already spent a year in coordinator Matt Canada's offense. The level of familiarity would be huge, and he professed his desire to return only a few weeks ago.

"Honestly, it would be a blessing [to stay in Pittsburgh]," Smith-Schuster told reporters after the loss in Kansas City. "I love the city; I love the fans. I love Coach Tomlin. I love the coaches and my teammates, players, everyone from the media side to the training room."

Retaining Smith-Schuster would make a lot of sense for the Steelers as they look to develop their quarterback of the future or at least bridge the gap to 2023. They know exactly how he fits and what he can do when healthy as well as anyone.

With $32 million in projected cap space, Pittsburgh should have no trouble signing up Smith-Schuster for another run if both parties are keen on a reunion.

Cap and contract information via Spotrac.