If today’s news that the Patriots want to trade receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was intended to sign him in a trade, the phone isn’t ringing.
The Patriots have officially parted ways with the veteran receiver.
His $7 million salary for 2024 is fully guaranteed, making a trade impossible. Still, the team could have offered the Patriots a low-end draft pick and New England could have covered the bulk of his salary.
Smith-Schuster, 27, signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract with the Patriots in 2023. The payout was $16 million, fully guaranteed.
The Patriots will now receive whatever he makes elsewhere — likely the veteran minimum.
It’s unclear why the Patriots made this move at this time, and it comes as some argue the flurry of contract extensions the Patriots have recently granted has strengthened former coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick’s shopping power. To continue the analogy, Smith-Schuster ended up being a pint of expired milk.
Still, someone will get a bargain. Smith-Schuster is a big, physical receiver who has had his fair share of injuries, but if he can still play at a high level, he could return to Pittsburgh or Kansas City, where the coaching staffs know him well.