Getty Steelers wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster could be on the way out.
New Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster no doubt had loyalty to his previous team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After being drafted by them in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Smith-Schuster played out his rookie deal in Pittsburgh and opted to re-sign with them on a one-year deal in 2021 despite “nearly” signing with the Kansas City Chiefs instead.
That may have not been the best decision for him in the end, as he registered just 15 catches for 129 yards in five games played during the 2021 season, which hurt his stock heading into free agency this offseason. That’s why the Chiefs were able to sign Smith-Schuster this offseason to a one-year deal that pays him a base salary of $3.25 million with a chance to earn an additional $7.5 million in incentives, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
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However, with all that being said — Smith-Schuster did leave open the opportunity to return to the Steelers this offseason, which he told NFL Media’s Taylor Bisciotti after signing with the Chiefs. Pittsburgh offered him a contract, but it wasn’t what Smith-Schuster was looking for, he said.
With Smith-Schuster officially out of Pittsburgh now, his mother took to social media to sound off on the situation, which had impacted her social media presence.
JuJu’s Mom Blasts Steelers
Smith-Schuster’s mother, Sammy Schuster, took to her Instagram account to acknowledge the fact that she had lost thousands of followers in wake of her son signing with a new team.
“As expected I’ve lost 400k followers,” she wrote on March 19. “It’s all good. I will say this … like all marriage, relationships, friendships … there is always one person who fights to keep that love alive … In our case … JuJu & I fought to stay in Pittsburgh because it was never about the money it was about loyalty.”
“But I guess Steelers had a new boyfriend in mind. So they didn’t want JuJu anymore. FYI Pittsburgh!! We fought to stay!!! If your not wanted then why? Stay!!! Thank you to the loyal family (fans) who are still following me!!! Steeler Nations!!!!”
Twitter Reacts to Schuster’s Post
Twitter users reacted to Blitzburgh’s screenshot of Schuster’s post on Instagram.
“Who is this new boyfriend she speaks of. Did we get a lights out receiver in a trade or free agency. So do us all a favor mom stay out of the deep end of the pool of which you know nothing about. Football is a business like all sports. As a Steelers fan I’ll miss juju,” one Twitter user wrote.
@Blitz_Burgh Who is this new boyfriend she speaks of. Did we get a lights out receiver in a trade or free agency. So do us all a favor mom stay out of the deep end of the pool of which you know nothing about. Football is a business like all sports. As a Steelers fan I’ll miss juju.
“Lol and her first order of business is to talk about how many followers she lost. Clearly the juju situation could’ve been handled better but the concern is very clear when that’s your first mention in your complaint,” another user wrote.
@Blitz_Burgh Lol and her first order of business is to talk about how many followers she lost. Clearly the juju situation could’ve been handled better but the concern is very clear when that’s your first mention in your complaint.
“He was also worth a lot more than the Steelers could afford or willing to pay for. did she really think that her son was going to be on one NFL team forever after being drafted??? It doesn’t work that way all the time. She should know that!” another user wrote.
“Oof well if she keeps this up she’ll be best friends with Mahomes wife. Always taking to social media to air their dirty laundry. Sheesh. He’ll be missed for sure but why publicly shame an organization that you claim to love?” another user wrote.
@Blitz_Burgh Oof well if she keeps this up she’ll be best friends with Mahomes wife. Always taking to social media to air their dirty laundry. Sheesh. He’ll be missed for sure but why publicly shame an organization that you claim to love?