JuJu Smith-Schuster

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool said he'd welcome longtime Atlanta Falcons star Julio Jones with open arms if his team pulled off a blockbuster trade.

"I would love him in Pittsburgh," Claypool told TMZ Sports in an interview released Saturday.

The Steelers already have one of the NFL's deepest receiving corps with Claypool joined by Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington, but the 2020 second-round pick said you can't turn down the opportunity to add a player of Jones' caliber.

"We're stacked, but you can never get too many superstars," Claypool told TMZ.

Jones has been the focus of trade rumors for much of the offseason, and the seven-time Pro Bowl selection didn't do anything to dispel the speculation while talking with Fox Sports' Shannon Sharpe earlier this week, saying "I'm out of there" in reference to a question about his future in Atlanta.

The 32-year-old Alabama native didn't know he was live on television when he made those remarks, per SiriusXM's Pat McAfee.

Nevertheless, it's caused the rumor mill to start spinning even more rapidly. ESPN's Dianna Russini reported Thursday a Jones trade could happen "as early as next week."

The Steelers are a long shot in the Jones sweepstakes for a variety of reasons, though.

Pittsburgh has just $7.9 million in space based on its top-51 salary cap, per Spotrac. CBS Sports' Joel Corry noted a team looking to acquire Jones must have at least enough space to cover the veteran wideout's $15.3 million base salary for 2021.

Between the financial constraints and the Steelers' aforementioned crowded receiver group, it doesn't make a ton of sense for the front office to give up assets for another passing-game target unless it's going all-in for one more championship push with Ben Roethlisberger.

Even in that case, however, there are probably better ways to upgrade the roster during the remaining stages of the offseason than targeting another receiver.

The Steelers' current group should be more than serviceable, especially with Claypool potentially taking a step forward after a solid rookie year that saw him record 62 catches for 873 yards and nine touchdowns.

That said, Claypool is right when he says a team can never have enough star power. The Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have used that mindset to capture the last two Super Bowl titles.

Even after losing to the Cleveland Browns in the NFL playoffs, Pittsburgh Steelers star JuJu Smith-Schuster doesn't regret having supplied some fuel for one of his division rivals.

Days before the two teams crossed paths in the AFC Wild Card round, Smith-Schuster told reporters how "they’re still the same Browns teams I play every year," adding that "the Browns is the Browns."

Speaking with Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio months after the fact, the 2018 Pro Bowler said the comments motivated Cleveland "probably a lot, honestly." However, he didn't totally disavow the bulletin-board material he provided:

"At the end of the day, I said what I said. I don’t take anything back. They did come out there, they did whoop our ass. It is what it is. We lost that game. We lost early in that game in the first five, 10 minutes. We still fought. I’ll tell you one thing about our team, we still fought to the end. It wasn’t good enough. I just know the AFC North [is] just probably the hardest ... division right now to win in."

In Smith-Schuster's defense, he was merely echoing something fans around the league—including in Cleveland—had said for years.

When you haven't won a playoff game since 1994—with three winning records during that time—skepticism is inevitable. That's what made the Browns' 48-37 win so cathartic. The franchise is no longer a doormat.

Of course, Cleveland can just as easily return to being a punching bag if it's unable to build on the success it enjoyed in 2020.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had to wait until the 62nd pick of the 2017 NFL draft to hear his name called, but being a free agent this offseason was apparently more stressful.

"I would probably say free agency was more nerve wracking than draft day," he said, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "Everything this year did not play out to how I wanted it to be when I look back five, four years. It's a lot different. It's betting on myself, going with the team I've been with before, and going out trying to get paid again."

The USC product ultimately re-signed with the Steelers this offseason.

Florio noted Smith-Schuster considered joining the Kansas City Chiefs or Baltimore Ravens before going back to Pittsburgh on a one-year, $8 million deal.

While he may have been hurt by the league's lower salary cap as it deals with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the wide receiver said he is happy to go back to the only NFL team he has ever known.

"Going back to where I know my quarterback, I know my receivers coach, I know my offense," he said. "They know me, they know my body. Just betting on myself is something that I've looked at, and I don't regret it at all."

The 2018 Pro Bowler had 97 catches for 831 yards and nine touchdowns last season, which was an improvement from the 552 receiving yards and three touchdown catches he had in 2019 but not close to the 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdown catches he had in his Pro Bowl campaign.

Given his comments, Smith-Schuster is going to be stressed again next offseason.

However, he is just 24 years old and will look to return to his 2018 form with continuity in place for the upcoming campaign.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva seems rather excited to join a new scheme after signing a two-year, $14 million deal with his previous club's biggest rival. 

The newest member of the Baltimore Ravens believes fitting into the team's run-first offense won't be a problem—it'll be an advantage:

Baltimore had the best rushing attack in the league last year with 191.9 yards per game. More than 20 yards more per game than the second-best running team in the Tennessee Titans.

Pittsburgh ranked last in rushing offense in 2021 with 84.4 yards per game.

It's clear from Villanueva's comments he thinks players like his former Steelers teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster might not enjoy playing in a scheme like the Ravens' as much given the lack of a spotlight, though Smith-Schuster would have plenty of time for TikToks—he's as big a social media star as he is a Pro Bowl talent.

Villanueva will have at least two games against the Steelers to prove how much he's enjoying his new club's scheme. 

JuJu Smith-Schuster decided to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers and signed a one-year deal in the offseason, but he also heavily considered a move to the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Andy Reid was just calling me and he was sending me Lombardi Trophy pictures like constantly," the receiver said on the Michael Irvin Podcast (via Nick Shook of NFL.com). "We had a good talk, so it would've been K.C. after the Steelers. Like texted it to me while I was trying to make a decision and I have so much respect for him and his team."

Smith-Schuster also noted interest from the Baltimore Ravens, but he was unsure about his potential role in the run-first offense.

The 24-year-old was widely expected to go somewhere besides Pittsburgh after an up-and-down past couple of seasons. After he earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2018, injuries held him back in 2019, and consistency was an issue in 2020.

Smith-Schuster finished with 97 catches but only 831 receiving yards, often falling behind Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool in the pecking order.

While he still wouldn't be a No. 1 option in Kansas City behind Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, there are more yards to go around with the top-ranked passing attack in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes has also shown the ability to connect on more downfield passes than Ben Roethlisberger at this stage of their respective careers.

The Chiefs are also a top contender to win the Super Bowl after reaching the title game in each of the last two years, winning it all after the 2019 season.

It still wasn't enough to convince Smith-Schuster to leave his current squad.

"I think with me it's more so staying home, staying loyal," he said of returning to the Steelers. "In my situation, we have a new OC, Ben's coming back, my relationship with my receiver coach, Ike Hilliard, is amazing. You can't beat that. Being home with the Steelers is the best."

Smith-Schuster also said he will play more outside this season after spending a significant amount of time in the slot in 2020.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said he tried to reach out to former teammate Antonio Brown but is blocked on all social media platforms.

"Honestly bro, if I could reach out I would, but I can't," he said on The Michael Irvin Podcast (h/t TMZ Sports). "He's blocked me on all social media from Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter ... my phone number. And we just live our lives."

TMZ noted Smith-Schuster and Brown "butted heads" after Pittsburgh traded the latter to the Oakland Raiders in 2019.

Brown called him a "bum" and "Boo Boo Shoester," while Smith-Schuster said, "Crazy how big that ego got to be to take shots at people who show you love! Smh."

Brown has faced plenty of legal trouble since that trade, including allegations of sexual assault and rape. The NFL suspended him eight games for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

However, that didn't stop the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from signing him for the stretch run of the 2020 campaign. They went on to win the Super Bowl over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger chose to remain in the city he's called home since 2004 when he agreed to a new contract that sees his salary drop from $19 million to $14 million for the 2021 season. 

That ended speculation on Roethlisberger's possible retirement for now, and on Thursday, team owner Art Rooney II took some questions on a fan call and discussed the 17-year veteran's return. 

ESPN's Brooke Pryor relayed Rooney's quotes from the call (h/t Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk).

"We wanted Ben back and the key to it was being able to restructure his contract that allowed us to keep Ben and sign other players," Rooney said. "Ben cooperated with that and willing to make changes in his contract. That allowed us to keep him on the team this year.

"That was always our goal. I thought Ben had a very good year last year for somebody coming off arm surgery. I think hopefully he'll have an even better year this year with another year under his belt in terms of recovery from that arm surgery."

Roethlisberger completed 65.6 percent of his passes for 33 touchdowns (10 interceptions) and 6.3 yards per pass attempt one year after missing all but two games with a season-ending right elbow injury. 

The Steelers started 11-0 but lost five of their last six games, including an AFC Wild Card Round defeat to the Cleveland Browns.

The ex-Miami of Ohio star will look to run it back for at least one more year on an offense that will feature some new faces: Center Maurkice Pouncey retired, and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva and running back James Conner are also free agents.

Big Ben does return his top four pass-catchers in Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Eric Ebron.