An NFL insider has provided some worrisome injury news on New England Patriots’ wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
After helping the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl 57 championship, Smith-Schuster joined the Patriots on a three-year deal worth $33 million in free agency. But according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Smith-Schuster has a serious knee issue that bears watching:
“JuJu Smith-Schuster’s knee is a mess, and that thing could explode at any point,” Breer said on NBC Sports Boston. “And so…you almost have to keep an extra receiver because of that.”
When Smith-Schuster was asked about this, however, he told Karen Guregian of Mass Live that his knee is “something that’s getting stronger every day.”
Smith-Schuster played 16 of the Chiefs’ 17 regular season games last year, and he suited up for all three postseason contests as well. Smith-Schuster regained his star-like form in KC, recording 78 receptions for 933 yards (the second-best mark of his career) and three touchdowns.
The 26-year-old joins a New England team that hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2019, when Julian Edelman hit the mark in Tom Brady’s last year with the organization. Jakobi Meyers, who left to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders, led the Patriots last year with 804 yards.
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For his career, the 6-foot-1 Smith-Schuster has 401 receptions for 4,788 yards and 29 touchdowns. His best season came in 2018, when he had 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Patriots will try to avoid starting 0-1 for the third consecutive season when they welcome the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium this Sunday.
