With the 2022 NFL regular season soon coming to a close, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster finds himself hoping that it won’t be his only season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Smith-Schuster signed a one-year deal with the team last March with the hopes of reigniting his career after a down year in Pittsburgh. With two games left to go, Smith-Schuster already has the most receptions he’s had in a single season since 2020 and the third-most yards in a single season of his career.
This isn’t the first time that he’s expressed the desire to stay in Kansas City long-term and it’s about more than his on-field production.
“Yeah, I just feel welcomed here,” Smith-Schuster told reporters on Friday. “I think the fanbase is unbelievable. Everyone here in the office as far as the staff, the people, you guys (media). You guys have been unbelievable to me and just been super nice. For myself it’s just more so – I want to be in a place where I can play ball, show my personality and just win man, so yeah.
Between the fanbase, community, winning and on-field production, it’s a no-brainer for Smith-Schuster to want to stay in Kansas City. It’s still hard to tell what the future will hold for the 26-year-old wide receiver, though.
The team restructured Smith-Schuster’s contract to give him a bit of an in-season raise in 2022, which could play into negotiations moving forward. With the wide receiver market exploding a season ago, Smith-Schuster’s market valuation could land anywhere from $10-18 million annually. That’s before considering what TV deals might do to the league’s salary cap. It’s also before considering what Smith-Schuster and the team might accomplish in the postseason.
Expect negotiations between K.C. and Smith-Schuster’s representation to pick up after the dust of the 2022 NFL postseason settles.
