4 reasons JuJu Smith-Schuster won’t be re-signed after 2020

His 2020 play

As stated above, this Steelers receiving group has seen success from a variety of players. There isn’t a traditional “number one” option, as any of the top three receivers can have a great game. That said, Smith-Schuster has the same number of games with under 50 receiving yards that he has with over 50 yards (five apiece). Even in a group that spreads the ball around as much as the Steelers do, it’s hard to justify those kinds of numbers with a contract as expensive as Smith-Schuster will likely receive.

Worse yet, Smith-Schuster is only averaging 9.2 yards per reception, a paltry number that shows he has struggled more than people may say he has. While part of that number is due to the deep ball struggling, he has also shown some struggles with making guys miss after the catch. While he is a sure target, he isn’t a big-play threat right now, and that severely limits his argument to be paid like a true number one receiver.

No, Smith-Schuster isn’t a bad receiver, and a lot of those numbers are impacted by the scheme the Steelers are using, but it is hard to justify paying a receiver that much money with the numbers he has put up. Again, if the team was flush with cap space, throwing that kind of money at Smith-Schuster would make sense. With so many other needs though the argument to give Smith-Schuster that kind of money is a tough one to justify.