JuJu Smith-Schuster brings extra element to Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs signed receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal, adding more firepower to a great offense.

Patrick Mahomes. Tyreek Hill. Travis Kelce. JuJu Smith-Schuster.

While the AFC has been in an all-out arms race to catch up with the Kansas City Chiefs, the annual frontrunners aren’t showing a willingness to be caught.

On Thursday, the Chiefs agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal worth up to $10.75 million in incentives with former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Two days later, the former USC star met with the Kansas City media and talked about his expectations for fitting in with an already loaded roster, per the team’s official transcript.

“You come into a team where they’ve got guys who can stretch the field, guys that have been here doing it for quite some time now. For me, I made the decision to come here to win. I’m all about winning. I’m all about what I can do to help the team and produce. This year you’ll see that. You’ll see that obviously they have Tyreek (Hill), Travis (Kelce) and Mecole (Harman) and all those guys, they’ll still make their plays. And the plays that I do get, I’ll want to make them too. Like I said, I’m here to win.”

In six years as a pro, Hill has been a Pro Bowler in each campaign. Meanwhile, Kelce has recorded five consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. While Smith-Schuster hasn’t had 1,000 yards since 2018, he’s been stuck with horrid quarterback play in Pittsburgh, ranging from Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges to a pair of campaigns with Ben Roethlisberger.

And for Smith-Schuster, that’s one of many reasons to leave Pittsburgh for Kansas City. He now gets Mahomes under center, giving him a chance to win big for the first time in his career. However, there are other reasons, including 80,000 in the world’s loudest stadium.

“It’s good to be on the other side, finally. I think for myself, I love Pittsburgh, the fanbase is amazing there, they took me in for about five years and obviously coming into this year, although playing my last game with Pittsburgh in Arrowhead and starting off my new season in Arrowhead, it’s going to be unbelievable. I’ve heard the fanbase is amazing, so I can’t wait to embrace them.”

Smith-Schuster and the Chiefs both upgraded. Now they try to win it all, and it’s led by a quartet of offensive stars.