close
close

Former Patriots flop scores decisive touchdown after returning to old team


Former Patriots flop scores decisive touchdown after returning to old team

Since returning to the Kansas City Chiefs, JuJu Smith-Schuster has already matched his touchdown total from his time with the New England Patriots.

The former Patriots free agent made a big contribution for the Chiefs in their win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night. The veteran receiver caught two passes for 17 yards, including a third-quarter touchdown that was the difference in Atlanta’s 22-17 victory.

The game marks Smith-Schuster’s first offensive performance since returning to Kansas City (and an offense in which he gets to play with Patrick Mahomes).

The 27-year-old is coming off a disappointing season in New England. In 2023, Smith-Schuster signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract with the Patriots in the expectation that he would become the team’s new top receiver.

But that didn’t work out. Instead, Smith-Schuster struggled in his return from a knee injury and delivered only poor results.

For the Patriots, Smith-Schuster played in 11 games in 2023, catching 29 passes for 260 yards and 1 touchdown.

Despite optimistic assessments that his knee had improved in the offseason, Smith-Schuster failed to stand out in training camp and got lost in the crowd of receivers.

Smith-Schuster’s time in New England ended on August 9, when it was announced that the team had decided to release him. The veteran receiver would have had to make $10.28 million against the salary cap. Even after his release, he still cost the team $9.63 million in dead cap money.

This isn’t the first time Smith-Schuster has made a comeback in Kansas City. He did something similar in 2022. After an unproductive and injury-plagued end to his five-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the receiver signed a cheap contract with the Chiefs in 2022.

This season, Smith-Schuster caught 78 passes for 933 yards, contributing to the team’s Super Bowl run.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *