3 Steelers free agents we will sadly wave goodbye to in the new year
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
JuJu Smith-Schuster has been a fan-favorite since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2017. The young wide receiver had a remarkable 2018 season in which he earned Pro Bowl honors, but his production quickly fell back down to earth in recent years as Pittsburgh’s offense began to struggle.
Of the three players on this list, JuJu seems most likely to stick around for a bit longer, but all signs point to him leaving in free agency in 2022. Though the Steelers might make a play to keep him around, Smith-Schuster doesn’t have much incentive to re-sign (outside of his love for the city).
The Steelers quarterback situation is a mess and JuJu was on pace for roughly 500 yards on a 17-game season before getting injured. Smith-Schuster may elect to sign another one-year deal to boost his value, but this will probably come with a team that already has an established quarterback who can get him the ball often.
JuJu is a passionate football player with a charismatic personality off the field. If he has already played his final snaps in Pittsburgh, fans can be thankful for what he gave this team and this city.
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There have been surprises in the past and anything can happen in the NFL. However, it certainly seems like we need to start preparing ourselves to wave goodbye to these players shortly after the new year.