With so many new faces on offense for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, it was fun watching quarterback Patrick Mahomes gain chemistry with the team’s new pass-catchers during training camp and the preseason.
But now that Mahomes has had some live game reps with his new receivers — along with plenty of other meaningful reps during live drills in camp — who has he grown to like the most among his new receivers which include but are not limited to JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, rookie Skyy Moore, and Justin Watson? NBC Sports’ Peter King might have given us that answer as the league transitions from the preseason to regular season action.
“I wrote a couple of weeks ago Smith-Schuster won’t be in the slot exclusively for KC, and he’s been revitalized because he thought he was typecast as a slot guy only with the Steelers. He loves Patrick Mahomes, and the feeling is mutual,” King wrote in his weekly Football Morning in America column on August 29.
King’s intel on Mahomes and JuJu’s relationship isn’t all that surprising. Mahomes lobbied for the Chiefs to sign JuJu this offseason, and the two of them connected during the offseason, along with some of their other teammates, to work out together. With that being said, it is promising that the two of them maintained a strong relationship after many long, hot days of Missouri summer at training camp, along with JuJu being injured and not practicing because of a knee injury following Week 1 of the preseason.
If Mahomes and JuJu can continue to build on the momentum they have going into the regular season, then we could be looking at one of the NFL’s next dynamic duos.
Chiefs Gave JuJu Pay Raise After Preseason
The strong chemistry between Mahomes and JuJu might be a large part of the reason why Kansas City decided to give JuJu a pay raise right after the Chiefs’ preseason ended.
The Chiefs agreed to an amended contract with JuJu that increases his per-game roster bonus from $30K to $60K according to ESPN’s Field Yates on August 26. The amended deal allows JuJu to potentially earn an additional $510K in bonuses this year, per Yates.
The Chiefs agreed to an amended contract for WR JuJu Smith-Schuster that increases his per-game roster bonus from $30K to $60K, per source.
Smith-Schuster can now earn an extra $510K via per-game bonuses this year.
Nice touch by the Chiefs to give him a chance for more upside.
Although JuJu has not been a large participant in preseason action due to a knee injury he suffered during training camp, the Chiefs are giving him what is essentially a guaranteed pay raise. He just has to be on the roster on certain dates throughout the season to be eligible for the roster bonuses, and there is little doubt he won’t be on the roster moving forward.
Head coach Andy Reid said leading up to the Chiefs’ preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers that JuJu had “turned the corner” recently and was running again. The veteran receiver was also seen catching passing from Patrick Mahomes during pre-game warmups Thursday night. This means he’s on track to suit up and be a key contributor in Kansas City’s regular season opener on the road against the Arizona Cardinals.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is out on the field catching passes from Patrick Mahomes. First we’ve seen of JuJu since early last week. Not expecting him to play tonight though
What Happens Between Preseason and Week 1?
Now that there are only three preseason games in the NFL, nearly all NFL teams have a two-week gap between their preseason finale and Week 1 regular season game (with the exception of Bills/Rams on Thursday Night Football in Week 1).
From the preseason finale until August 30 at 4 p.m. Eastern Time, all NFL teams must shave their rosters down to 53 players. Once that deadline is reached, the teams then shift their focus to the regular season.
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Patrick Mahomes ‘Loves’ Chiefs’ WR Breakout Candidate: Report