The Kansas City Chiefs have apparently seen enough from wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to merit giving him a raise.
The Chiefs agreed to an amended contract with Smith-Schuster that increases his per-game roster bonus from $30K to $60K according to ESPN’s Field Yates on August 26. The amended deal allows Smith-Schuster 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.
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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. Smith-Schuster just has to be on the roster on certain dates 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. JuJu 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
Chiefs Beat Packers in Preseason Finale
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes did not play in the preseason finale, but many of the starters got reps early in the game. Some of the highlight-worthy action from the starters included a couple of punt returns from rookie receiver Skyy Moore in which he had returns of 35 and 16 yards respectively in the first quarter and showed off his elusiveness and vision.
#Chiefs rookie WR Skyy Moore took the punt return for 35 yards. #ChiefsKingdom
The standout offensive players for the game were quarterback Shane Buechele, who completed 11-of-17 pass attempts for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns, and tight end Matt Bushman, who caught 3 passes for 73 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bushman, unfortunately, fractured his clavicle during the game, which puts him at a high risk of being cut ahead of the regular season despite his strong performance.
TE Matt Bushman catches the pass in busted coverage for a 54-yard TD. PAT is good.
Kansas City’s defense, despite the score, had a shaky performance, mainly due to poor tackling. Yet, rookie safety Bryan Cook stood out among his teammates thanks to 4 tackles, 1 pass defended, and 1 interception just before halftime.
#Chiefs rookie safety Bryan Cook intercepts #Packers QB Jordan Love right before the half. #ChiefsKingdom
With the preseason over now for the Chiefs, the team now has until 4 p.m. Eastern Time on August 30 to shave their roster down from 80 to 53 players before the regular season officially begins.
Twitter Reacts to Chiefs Victory
Twitter users reacted to the preseason finale victory for the Chiefs.
“Rewatching last nights game…[Ronald Jones] and [Isiah Pacheco] runs were tough, both hit the holes strong and with authority,” one Twitter user wrote. “Dont know what it means for rojo though at this point, but those two were the clear better runners last night.”
Rewatching last nights game…rojo and pacheco runs were tough, both hit the holes strong and with authority. Dont know what it means for rojo though at this point, but those two were the clear better runners last night. #ChiefsKingdom
“I’ve been saying this , even last year [Shane Buechele] showed a lot of positive signs of being able to run at offense and he’s not scared to throw the ball deep or #ChiefsKingdom doesn’t sigh him someone else will,” another Twitter user wrote.
“Seeing Jermaine Carter Jr. getting trucked and knocked on his arse while backpedaling from a block is nothing the Chiefs need,” another user wrote. “Darius Harris attacks the line of scrimmage and is better by far.”
Seeing Jermaine Carter Jr. getting trucked and knocked on his arse while backpedaling from a block is nothing the Chiefs need. Darius Harris attacks the line of scrimmage and is better by far. #ChiefsKingdom #NFL #NFLPreseason
“Gonna have to start paying attention to folks names in #ChiefsKingdom… everybody got that 16 Lenny avi,” another user wrote.
Gonna have to start paying attention to folks names in #ChiefsKingdom … everybody got that 16 Lenny avi
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Chiefs Give Pay Raise to Potential Breakout WR: Report