at the wide receiver position and playing alongside Antonio Brown, JuJu was having himself a great start to his career. Unfortunately,  upon AB’s exit from Pittsburgh, and fans were forced to pick a side. Of course, Smith-Schuster took the more humble approach and became the number one option for the Steelers receiving core. 

This promotion came with some growing pains as Smith-Schuster had an underwhelming year with only 42 receptions and 552 yards. It’s important to note that Smith-Schuster had some dubious quarterbacks last season so it wasn’t entirely his fault. Regardless of the circumstances, there are now rumors that Smith-Schuster is unlikely to be re-signed by the Steelers.

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According to Ed Bouchette of The Athletic, both running back James Conner and JuJu probably won’t be back with the Steelers in 2021. JuJu’s contract runs out at the end of the upcoming season and when Bouchette was asked if Smith-Schuster would get an extension, his response was “not likely.”

Based on this news and the fact that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is getting up there in age, it looks like the Steelers are positioning themselves for a bit of a rebuild.

[Via]