Two days after endorsing a condom brand on his verified Instagram account, JuJu Smith-Schuster was back at it Friday as a pitch man.
In the star receiver’s first media availability of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, Smith-Schuster continued his sales job to his coaches to play on the outside in lieu of the slot.
He put on the hard sell for the organization to fairly compensate a longtime teammate in outside linebacker T.J. Watt.
At one point, he even sounded as if he was reading a script for a fast-food commercial.
“I’ve been eating Chick-fil-A a lot lately,” Smith-Schuster said when asked if he put on weight over the offseason. “Chick-fil-A, I got so much for love for that…
“So, hopefully, after the Super Bowl win, I’ll go and have the 50-piece.”
The 50-piece is a reference to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s viral social-media video in which he ordered as many chicken nuggets as he could while taking the Larry O’Brien Trophy through the drive-through a day after winning the NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Antetokounmpo signed a $228 million contract extension with the Milwaukee Bucks in December. Smith-Schuster’s target in advocating for Watt isn’t quite that – but it was close.
“For T.J., for sure, 130 (million)?” he said, “One-hundred forty, 150-mill plus. Easily. No doubt.”
Smith-Schuster is back after his visions of a huge contract were dashed in free agency, leaving the Steelers’ one-year offer of $7 million as his best option.
Perhaps motivated by maximizing his value on the market next spring, Smith-Schuster has made it no secret he prefers to play as an outside receiver instead of running out of the slot like he did most of last season.
Smith-Schuster said new offensive coordinator Matt Canada is on board.
“That’s something that we have talked about,” Smith-Schuster said, “and it’s been going really well.”
The slot, though, is where Smith-Schuster accumulated enough catches last season to finish ninth in the NFL with 97. It’s also where he finished tied for second in the league in third-down receptions that gained a first down.
That was an area in which he perhaps most earned praise from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. When Roethlisberger needed 3 or 4 yards on third down, Smith-Schuster in the middle of the field was his security blanket.
Can Smith-Schuster still be that if he’s lining up outside?
“Oh yeah, for sure,” he said. “No doubt. You can be anywhere on the field. As long as you’re on the field, you can be a blanket for Ben.”
Smith-Schuster is only 24 years old, but only four Steelers have a longer continuous tenure than the 2017 second-round pick. As such, coupled with the offseason departure of a handful of veteran leaders, is Smith-Schuster aiming to be more of a voice in the locker room?
“I lead by example, with action,” he said. “I don’t say a whole lot, and if I do it’s rare. I’ll let to that to Ben and some of the other guys.”
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Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris by email at cadamski@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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July 24, 2021 at 04:27AM
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JuJu Smith-Schuster sold on making impact for Steelers in 2021 - TribLIVE
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