The New England Patriots are bringing in a lot of new faces for the 2024 season. This includes promoting Jerod Mayo to replace legendary head coach Bill Belichick. On top of this, the Patriots drafted Drake Maye after trading Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In addition to this, the Patriots will have at least one new wide receiver to throw the ball to. That is because the team recently announced they will release a wide receiver that is a former Super Bowl champion.
New England Patriots Releasing WR Juju Smith-Schuster
According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, the New England Patriots plan to release WR Juju Smith-Schuster. This comes after having a disappointing 2023 season with the team. What did he do last season that led to this release? Smith-Schuster had just 260 receiving yards and one touchdown reception.
If this was not enough, the Patriots are willing to light money on fire to be rid of Smith-Schuster. That is because the team still owes him $7 million this season. Yet, they still plan on releasing him.
Looking Back at Smith-Schuster’s NFL Career
He has played in the NFL for seven seasons. Before signing with the Patriots in 2023, Smith-Schuster became a Super Bowl champion. He did this with the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2022 season.
How did Smith-Schuster contribute to the Chiefs’ 2022 Super Bowl title? Well, he had 933 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions. This helped lead the Kansas City Chiefs to defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII.
Before that, Smith-Schuster spent his first five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. At that time, he looked like a promising young wide receiver. His best season with the Steelers came in 2018. During that season, he had 1,426 receiving yards and seven touchdown receptions.
New England Patriots Moving Forward
The New England Patriots have a lot of work to do in 2024. Last year, the Patriots had the third-worst record in the NFL. Combined with that and an underperforming offense, New England decided to change course this offseason.
Right now, rookie QB Drake Maye is battling for the starting quarterback job with veteran QB Jacoby Brissett. So, who will these quarterbacks be able to throw the football to? Truthfully, with the best healthy wide receiver on their depth chart currently being Ja’Lynn Polk, the team will have to hope somebody emerges.
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