It was announced Friday that the Kansas City Chiefs have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster to a one-year, $10.75 million contract. Later that evening, we learned that the underlying value of this one-year deal was well below $10.75 million. On Saturday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio revealed some contract-related numbers.
Smith Shuster’s one-year deal has a base value of $3.25 million, according to Florio. Only $2.49 million is fully guaranteed at signing. He is reportedly receiving a $1.455 million signing bonus and a fully guaranteed base salary of $1.035 million. The rest of the Smith-Schuster Basic Package includes a $250,000 practice bonus and up to $510,000 play bonuses.
Florio went on to say that the other money in the Smith-Schuster deal includes $7.5 million in incentives, and that $2 million of that is likely tied to getting the Chiefs at least an AFC Championship in 2022.
Judging by what Smith-Schuster’s mother posted on Instagram on Saturday, the Steelers made no effort to re-sign her son. Perhaps they simply did not make the effort to win the deal offered by the chiefs. The Steelers don’t like to sign contracts that include promotions for non-quarterbacks, and that’s been the case for several years. The only time you see them with players on their roster who have contracts that include promotions is when they acquire said players through a trade.
Smith-Schuster has been out of luck in 2021 after re-signing a one-year, $8 million contract a year ago. A shoulder injury in Week 5 essentially ruined Smith-Schuster’s 2021 season. While the Steelers, a former USC second-round draft pick, was eventually able to return from the reserve/injured list to play in the team’s Super Wild Card game, those missed regular season games weighed on his market value this offseason.
In total, excluding playoff games, Smith-Schuster took 222 offensive shots in the five contests he competed in before suffering a shoulder injury. In those five games, Smith-Schuster registered all 15 receptions for 129 yards and no touchdowns. However, he had one rushing touchdown and nine yards on three full carries.
Smith-Schuster is likely to meet with reporters in Kanas City on Monday. If he does, it will be interesting to know if he has been asked about the Steelers and in particular if they have made any effort to re-sign him.