How the Steelers should prioritize future contract extensions
By Tommy Jaggi
3rd Priority: JuJu Smith-Schuster
To me, getting an extension done with JuJu Smith-Schuster comes in a distant third. Though his contract expires after the 2020 season, some question marks are surrounding this one. JuJu wasn’t healthy in 2019 and it showed, but there is more risk involved than just betting on his health.
Because of his age and reputation, Smith-Schuster will likely become one of the league’s top 10 highest-paid receivers. This may be something the Steelers won’t be able to afford to do, as he didn’t play anywhere close to that level last season.
In fact, even when JuJu was healthy, he was often outplayed by teammates Diontae Johnson and James Washington. By adding Chase Claypool and Eric Ebron to Ben Roethlisberger’s arsenal this offseason, JuJu’s extension seems to be less of a priority than it once was. We would love to keep him around as an added weapon, but to me, extensions for Watt and Heyward are clearly more important.