Patriots cut veteran wide receiver following first preseason game
The Patriots are releasing wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Smith-Schuster leaves the Patriots after just one season with the team, following signing a three-year, $33 million contract last offseason. The seven-year veteran dealt with an injury-plagued 2023 season.
In his only season in New England, Smith-Schuster caught 29 balls for 260 yards and one touchdown in 11 games. The Patriots were hoping he would replace the production of Jakobi Meyers, who bolted for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. Meyers recorded 71 catches for 807 yards and eight touchdowns last year.
His best game with the Patriots came against his former team, the Steelers, in Week 14; Smith-Schuster caught four balls for 90 yards. He would ultimately get hurt in the game and miss the remainder of the regular season.
Smith-Schuster just played 11 snaps in the Patriots’ preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. During the game, he did not see any targets.
The move will allow the former Steelers and Chiefs wideout to catch on with a team early on in the preseason. New England will be slapped with more than $9.6 million in dead money, with an additional $2.6 million set to count on the team’s 2025 cap.
Still just 27 years old, the veteran has a history of knee problems and various other injuries. For his career, Smith-Schuster has 430 receptions, 5,048 yards, and 30 touchdowns.
The Patriots wide receiver room was crowded, and Smith-Schuster seemed to have fallen to the bottom of the depth chart. Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas, Ja'Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Reagor, Javon Baker, Tyquan Thornton, and Kayshon Boutte remain in camp, competing to make the team.
