Tyreek Hill trade presents opportunity for Juju Smith-Schuster

Juju Smith-Schuster left the Steelers for the Chiefs in free agency and now appears to be headed for a featured role on their offense.

When Juju Smith-Schuster left the Steelers in free agency, the presumption was that he would be the number three receiving option on a high-powered Kansas City Chiefs team, behind both Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.

However, Adam Schefter reported that Tyreek Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins for five draft selections after he and the Chiefs couldn’t come to terms on a long-term contract.

With Hill no longer in Kansas City, as things currently stand, Smith-Schuster appears to have jumped to second on the pecking order for targets, while sitting first among wide receivers. After being relegated to a slot wide receiver and short-yardage targets the last two years in Pittsburgh, Smith-Schuster could prove this year that he still has the same skill set that he had in his first two years in the NFL.

Smith-Schuster could cash in on his incentive-laden contract

Coming off a season-ending injury Smith-Schuster was unable to land a long-term contract or a contract that guaranteed him much money. So, instead, he had to opt for an incentive-laden deal. According to Pro Football Talk, Smith-Schuster’s contract has a base value of $3.25 million, but he can earn an additional $7.5 million, if he reaches certain thresholds on yards, catches, and touchdowns, as well as if the Chiefs make a deep playoff run.

While that may have looked like a huge negative for Smith-Schuster upon being reported, the loss of Tyreek Hill makes it far more likely that he hits each of those incentives. While Kelce will still undoubtedly be Mahomes’ favorite target, due to his skill and familiarity with Mahomes, the loss of Hill, as well as the losses of Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle frees up a lot of targets in the Kansas City offense.

With three receivers gone from last year’s Kansas City roster, Smith-Schuster sits atop a depth chart that doesn’t feature a whole lot more other than Mecole Hardman, and Josh Gordon.

Smith-Schuster could cash in next offseason

While the Chiefs are very likely to select at least one wide receiver in this year’s NFL Draft class, it is impossible to deny that Smith-Schuster will have a sizable role in the offense if healthy, especially early on, as it is unlikely any draft selection takes the number one receiver role out of the gate.

With the Chiefs not picking until 29 and 30 in the first round, the top receiving options like Garrett Wilson, Drake London, and Chris Olave will likely already be gone. Instead, they will have to hope one of Treylon Burks, Jameson Williams, and Jahan Dotson makes it to them. However, with the Packers losing Davante Adams, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, it is likely they select at least one wide receiver ahead of the Chiefs as well.

Regardless of who the Chiefs bring in, Smith-Schuster will be a featured player in Kansas City’s offense, while seeing a massive upgrade at quarterback in Patrick Mahomes over a 39-year old Ben Roethlisberger. Add to that an expanded route tree after moving on from being an exclusive slot receiver, and it’s easy to see why Smith-Schuster will likely have his best season since 2018 and could put up the second 1000 yard season of his career.

Smith-Schuster is the biggest beneficiary in Kansas City as a result of the Tyreek Hill trade, while obviously, Tua Tagovailoa is a huge beneficiary in Miami. The opportunity has now presented itself for Smith-Schuster, and it will now be up to him to make the most of it. Most Steelers fans have a soft spot for Smith-Schuster, and will likely be rooting for him to have a big-year and cash in the next offseason.