One of the goals for the New England Patriots this offseason was to upgrade the weapons around quarterback Mac Jones. They succeeded in that goal early in free agency as they signed wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster away from the Kansas City Chiefs.
New England and Smith-Schuster agreed to a three-year, $33 million deal. He will be tasked with helping replace the production of Jakobi Meyers, who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency on an identical three-year deal.
After signing one-year deals in back-to-back offseasons, Smith-Schuster finally cashed in on a multi-year deal. 2022 with the Chiefs was the most productive season of his career since Year 2 in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Catching passes from Patrick Mahomes will certainly help any player get back on track.
That luxury no longer exists by joining the Patriots, as Jones had a rough sophomore season in the NFL. There is some contention between him and head coach Bill Belichick, as New England reportedly shopped Jones this offseason on the trade market.
However, Smith-Schuster is excited about playing with Jones despite his struggles last season. Jones’ dedication to his craft, as he was in the facility working out when Smith-Schuster went to sign his contract, is something that his newest wide receiver can appreciate.
“I think his role, his leadership is something that I’ve seen from afar,” Smith-Schuster said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. “His work ethic is hard — he’s a hard-working guy. Very, very smart at what he does in just working on his craft.
“But for Mac, though, the sky is the limit. I think with the guys that we have here and all the weapons, it’s going to be a fun year.”
There is some optimism for Jones this upcoming season as he will have a real offensive coordinator. Last season the Patriots’ experiment with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, a former defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator, was a disaster. Bill O’Brien is taking over as offensive coordinator, which should help Jones get back on track.
Having a reliable receiver such as Smith-Schuster will certainly help. He joins a solid supporting cast around the former first-round pick that includes Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, Hunter Henry and Rhamondre Stevenson.
