JuJu Smith-Schuster

Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster said he's hopeful of re-signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as he prepares to become an unrestricted free agent March 17.

"At the end of the day, I want to have my legacy in Pittsburgh and retire there," Smith-Schuster told TMZ Sports in an interview released Wednesday. "I don't want to leave."

Smith-Schuster has spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Steelers, who selected him in the second round of the 2017 draft.

His best statistical season came in 2018 when he recorded 111 receptions for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns. He's also coming off a strong 97-catch campaign in 2020 that saw him post a career-high nine scores while playing all 16 regular-season games.

Smith-Schuster explained on the Yinzhers Podcast last week (via Noah Strackbein of Sports Illustrated) he preferred to remain in Pittsburgh but would otherwise seek out a championship contender on the open market.

"I do want to play for a team that plays for a Super Bowl every year, that competes," he said. "Obviously, the Steelers are that. I do want to play with a great quarterback, not knowing what Ben [Roethlisberger]'s going to do. And I do want to be paid a reasonable price for what I'm worth."

A return to Pittsburgh could be difficult because of the team's financial situation, though.

The Steelers are already over the projected salary cap for 2021 without even factoring in the necessary money to sign their draft picks. While Roethlisberger has signaled a willingness to reduce his $41.25 million cap hit, any money saved will likely be used to upgrade the roster elsewhere.

Pittsburgh already features three receivers who were heavily involved in the offense last season—Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and James Washington—under contract for 2021, as well as tight end Eric Ebron, who can be an effective playmaker over the middle of the field.

Add in the fact that Smith-Schuster should receive some lucrative offers in free agency and a return to the Steelers seems like a long shot unless he's willing to take less than market value.

That's possible because it's clear the 2018 Pro Bowl selection has an admiration for Pittsburgh, but the proposals he gets from other teams starting next month may be too good to pass up.

After spending the past 10 seasons with the Houston Texans, J.J. Watt seems to be enjoying the chaotic nature of his first foray into free agency.

The five-time Pro Bowler tweeted about his experience on the open market thus far:

The Texans released Watt on Feb. 12 after the two sides agreed to a mutual parting of ways. He established himself as the best player in franchise history over the past 10 years, winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards and making the All-Pro First Team five times. 

Almost immediately after Watt's release was announced, speculation about his future began. Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who played with Watt in Houston for seven seasons, posted a picture of the two on Instagram with the caption, "Let’s finish what we started..."

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster commented on Hopkins' picture: "Come play with your brothers lol." T.J. and Derek Watt are both currently playing for the Steelers. 

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported on Tuesday that Watt is "seriously considering" the Cleveland Browns among his potential landing spots. 

Given the market for pass-rushers in the NFL, there figures to be no shortage of teams at least calling Watt to gauge his interest in playing for them. The 31-year-old finished last season with 17 quarterback hits and five sacks in 16 games. 

There are no shortage of NFL players trying to recruit J.J. Watt to their team in the wake of the five-time Pro Bowler being released by the Houston Texans last week. 

After DeAndre Hopkins posted a picture of himself with Watt from last season's game between the Texans and Arizona Cardinals, JuJu Smith-Schuster offered a comment pleading for Watt to join his brothers with the Pittsburgh Steelers:

Pittsburgh is considered a strong contender to sign Watt since his brothers, T.J. and Derek, are currently under contract with the team. Smith-Schuster is a free agent, and it's unclear if the Steelers will re-sign him. 

The Texans announced on Feb. 12 a mutual parting of ways with Watt, who has spent the past 10 seasons with the organization after being drafted No. 11 overall out of Wisconsin in 2011. 

Hopkins played with Watt for seven seasons from 2013 to '19 before Houston traded him to Arizona last March. The Cardinals tied for fourth in the NFL last season with 48 sacks, despite not having three-time Pro Bowler Chandler Jones for the final 11 games due to a biceps injury.

If the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't able to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster before the beginning of the free-agency period, he may find a new home in Las Vegas. 

"I do think the Steelers will have productive talks with him, try to keep Smith-Schuster. Big Ben would love to have him back. But I know the Raiders like his game, his toughness," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter. "They could add a new dimension there. Smith-Schuster can do a lot of different things on offense for Derek Carr and that attack. And the Jets I believe will look at him as well. Nelson Agholor, though, with the Raiders they really like him and could try to keep him."

Smith-Schuster recorded 97 receptions for 831 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020 and could be one of the top skill position players on the market.

The Steelers seem unlikely to use the franchise tag on Smith-Schuster given their cap constraints. A tag would cost Pittsburgh roughly $16.4 million in 2021, an onerous cap hit for a team that will already have to renegotiate Ben Roethlisberger's contract this offseason to sneak under the cap.

If Smith-Schuster becomes a free agent, it seems likelier than not that he'll play elsewhere in 2021. The Raiders' top wide receiver last season, Nelson Agholor, will be a free agent this offseason. It's possible they will allow Agholor to walk and sign a slot player like Smith-Schuster, with second-year wideout Henry Ruggs being more heavily relied upon to stretch the field.

Smith-Schuster signing in Las Vegas may lead to Darren Waller's ceiling being limited. Waller has regularly lined up in the slot the last two seasons and has been Derek Carr's favorite target underneath. It's a situation worth monitoring for fantasy purposes in particular, as Waller's been among the most productive tight ends in football. 

The Las Vegas Raiders "are very interested" in signing free-agent wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, 710 ESPN Seattle's John Clayton said Wednesday (h/t Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan). 

The 2018 Pro Bowler is hitting the market for the first time after spending the first four years of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He posted 831 receiving yards and a career-high nine touchdowns in 2020. 

In January, the 24-year-old listed Las Vegas among franchises he deemed "good places to go" (h/t Austin Boyd of Heavy.com). 

"Should I just stay in Pittsburgh?" Smith-Schuster said during a Twitch stream, per Boyd. "Packers, Raiders, Jaguars … the Jets. … There's a lot of good places to go." 

He later added that "the Raiders are nice." 

Derek Carr was a middle-of-the-road quarterback in 2020, with 4,103 yards passing and nine touchdowns on a 67.3 completion percentage. His favorite wide receiver target, Nelson Agholor (896 yards, eight touchdowns) is one of 20 impending Las Vegas free agents. 

If Agholor moves on, they're left with Hunter Renfrow and Henry Ruggs III at the top of the depth chart, both of whom can pick up the slack. Still, the Raiders would benefit from Smith-Schuster, who may come cheaply after two less-than-elite seasons with the Steelers. 

The New York Jets, who had the second-worst passing game in 2020, are also reportedly assessing Schuster and Agholor, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler (h/t Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports).

After finishing with the NFL's worst scoring offense in 2020, the New York Jets are reportedly looking to add playmakers at wide receiver this offseason.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Will Fuller V are "at the top" of the list of players New York is looking at. 

Fowler also noted that Indianapolis Colts restricted free agent Zach Pascal is a "second-tier" option for the Jets. 

The Jets are looking to establish a new identity in 2021 under first-year head coach Robert Saleh. He filled out his staff with several members of the San Francisco 49ers group that he worked with under Kyle Shanahan. 

Mike LaFleur, who was the 49ers passing game coordinator for the past two seasons, will be New York's offensive coordinator. San Francisco's passing game was heavily reliant on players who can pick up big yards after the catch, like George Kittle and Deebo Samuel. 

Smith-Schuster specialized in that area early in his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He ranked third in the NFL with 2.5 yards after the catch above average as a rookie in 2017, per Football Outsiders. 

Pittsburgh's offense wasn't geared for explosive plays in 2020 with Ben Roethlisberger's arm strength limited coming off elbow surgery. Smith-Schuster averaged a career-low 8.6 yards per catch, though he still led the NFL in catches from the slot (81) and touchdowns from the slot (nine), per Pro Football Focus. 

Fuller is capable of making plays after the catch or stretching the field deep because of his speed. The Notre Dame alum set career-highs with 53 receptions, 879 yards, eight touchdowns and 16.6 yards per reception as Deshaun Watson's favorite target for the Houston Texans in 2020. 

In November, Fuller was suspended six games by the NFL for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He sat out the final five games in 2020 and will miss the first game next season. 

The Jets could be an attractive option for anyone looking to score a big contract this offseason. Over the Cap estimates they will have $67.9 million in cap space. 

Jamison Crowder was New York's leading receiver last season. He finished with 89 targets, 59 receptions, 699 yards and six touchdowns. 

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool explained why he's been so quick to publicly dismiss the Cleveland Browns following his team's season-ending loss last week.

"They were just super classless. against JuJu, toward JuJu, what they were saying on the field toward the end of the game," Claypool told DAZN Canada of the Browns. "So I'm not going to have respect for a team that doesn't have respect for us."

Claypool, who recently signed an endorsement deal with Jordan Brand, had a tough prediction for the Browns, who punched their ticket to the AFC divisional round against the Buffalo Bills when they upended the Steelers in the Wild Card game. 

The Browns had some beef with Smith-Schuster, who played down Cleveland's chances heading into the wild card game. 

"I think they’re nameless gray faces," he said. "They have a couple good players on their team, but at the end of the day, I don’t know. The Browns is the Browns."

Once the Browns defeated the Steelers, 48-37, they celebrated by throwing Smith-Schuster's comments back at him—and mocked his TikTok dance on the sidelines and in the locker room. 

Claypool took to Twitter as the video of his DAZN appearance began to circulate on Thursday, attempting to clear his name as a Browns doubter. 

No player on the Browns has issued a reaction yet, probably because they're preparing for their next playoff game. 

Reports that Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster wants out of Pittsburgh are false. 

The source? Smith-Schuster himself.

In response to Pat McAfee saying on his radio show that the star was looking to move, Smith-Schuster said the report was "completely 100% false." 

McAfee later added that he was referencing a report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, who wrote that "Smith-Schuster would like to play in a major market where he could expand his off-field brand and burgeoning social-media presence." 

Smith-Schuster is a free agent after four years with the Steelers, who drafted him in the second round (No. 62 overall) out of USC in 2017. One of the team's top receivers, he earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2018 after notching 1,426 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. 

In 2020, his 831 yards ranked third on the team behind Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, the latter of whom was tied with Smith-Schuster with nine touchdowns.

Off the field, Smith-Schuster's brand has largely grown through TikTok this season, and his fellow teammates have taken notice. Rookie Chase Claypool, who recently signed an endorsement deal with Jordan Brand, noted earlier this year that Smith-Schuster has had major influence on helping him grow and manage his brand.

But that doesn't necessarily mean he's hoping to move to a bigger market this offseason.

The 24-year-old penned a thank you to fans on Instagram and Twitter following the team's wild card loss to the Cleveland Browns. 

"I am a proud STEELER through thick and thin," he wrote. "I would love to be back for more, to be part of the group that brings this organization to where it belongs."