Jujus Smith -Schuster is making headlines again, for all the wrong reasons. The vocal Steelers wide receiver has made quite a name for himself this season. He has earned the nickname “The Steelers TikTok star”. Juju has caused a few headaches for the Steelers this season after his controversial TikTok Dances on the logos of his opponent’s football field. In the latest series of events that have put the Steelers receiver on blast is his latest statement about their upcoming opponent the Cleveland Browns. At one point in his statement, he said that the Browns have “a couple of good players” and that they are a team of “nameless grey faces”.
In the past, the Steelers have had situations with wide receivers being too vocal and outspoken. Antonio Brown was considered by many to be the best wide receiver in football at the time, and he was traded soon after his off-field antics were too much for the team. Juju has now caused a few media issues for the team with his dancing and comments that have incited opponents to play even harder against this team. Sadly for Smith-Schuster, his production is nowhere near Brown’s. Juju has not had a 100-yard game in almost 2 years. That is definitely not enough production to ensure job safety.
What are some scenarios for the Steelers and their outspoken young player? One would be that Schuster could possibly get his act together and put up some big-time numbers for the Steelers come time for playoffs. Another situation would be that Juju keeps up his usual antics and ends up not being resigned with the Steelers this offseason and he ends up on a new squad come next season.
What is my suggestion for Juju and the Steelers? Move on! While I like Pittsburgh’s young receiver, he is not great at putting up numbers. That is the only reason Smith-Schuster is on the team: to help them win by producing. It seems to me that he wants to have fun first and win as a byproduct of his fun. While I am a huge proponent of someone loving the game, at this level you need to pair work ethic with that passion. The Steelers are already cap-strapped and don’t need to allocate resources to an asset that isn’t willing to knock off his antics and produce.
Am I off here? Do you like Juju’s antics? What should the Steelers do? Let me know in the comment section below.
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