4 things that must happen for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers need to sign JuJu Smith-Schuster
My heart is telling me that I would rather have Cameron Heyward locked up, but the research shows that it would be better long-term to keep JuJu Smith-Schuster with the team.
Though Cameron Heyward is currently one of the best defensive linemen in the league and coming off his second first-team All-Pro campaign, he will be 32 years old before the start of the 2021 season with well over 100 starts under his belt.
While Heyward could still have two or three very good years left in the NFL, Smith-Schuster is still just 23 years old and likely has at least a decade left in his career. In addition, research from Pro Football Focus shows the value of wide receivers and what they mean to sustain a good offense year after year. With a deep and talented receiving corps locked up, the quarterback who will eventually take over for Roethlisberger could come into a great situation.
Pittsburgh likely won’t have enough money to get a deal done with Heyward and JuJu, but locking up the young receiver could prove to be the better long-term investment of the two for the Steelers. Letting JuJu hit the market is a risky maneuver. Signing him now would be very beneficial.