Patriots release WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

His greatest individual successes came during his time with the Steelers, the team he spent his first five seasons with from 2017-2021. He burst onto the scene his rookie year with 917 yards and seven TDs, then matched his scoring effort the following campaign while topping his yardage with a career-high 1,426 to make his lone Pro Bowl.

His greatest triumph on a team came during the 2022 season, when he signed on with Kansas City and played a pivotal role in helping replace Tyreek Hill, tallying 78 receptions, 933 yards and three touchdowns on the way to capturing Super Bowl LVII.

Smith-Schuster hasn’t been able to unlock similar success, either individually or otherwise, during his Patriots tenure. He played 11 snaps in Thursday’s 17-3 preseason win over the Panthers and logged no stats.

Due to the timing of his release, Smith-Schuster has some time before the regular season to catch on with another team.

As for New England, it will take on $9.6 million in dead money this year, which includes eating the wideout’s $7 million guaranteed salary.

The Pats will move on sans Smith-Schuster with young talent like Demario Douglas and rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, plus other veterans such as Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Reagor, and K.J. Osborn.