Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster found a haven with the New York Giants earlier this year. However, that bliss didn’t last long. Smith-Schuster, for the second time this year, is looking for a new team.

The New York Giants have released Smith-Schuster after signing running back Najee Harris, Adam Schefter wrote on X.

This shock comes for Smith-Schuster just two months after he signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Giants in June. Smith-Schuster was dealing with a knee issue and missed some practice time, which already put him behind his competitors. His status during the offseason was not as heavily reported, and a clip that captured him dropping an easy catch also did the rounds.

Smith-Schuster has not been able to stick around for more than one season after his first Chiefs stint. He was dropped by the New England Patriots after the 2023 season, despite having signed a three-year contract. Former head coach Jerod Mayo said it was done more with the younger receivers in mind, but he also cited Smith-Schuster’s injury history. He hadn’t played a full season until last year, when he was with the Chiefs. 

In New York, JuJu Smith-Schuster was also competing with Odell Beckham Jr. (the prodigal son) for one of the last spots in the WR depth chart, with Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton II presumably locking down the starting spots. But with OBJ getting more reps – he also played in the preseason vs the Vikings – it looks like Smith-Schuster became an expendable option.

Smith-Schuster played for the Chiefs in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, marking his second stint playing with the team. He had previously played as a Chief in the 2022 season, when he won Super Bowl LVII. He recorded 129 receptions for 1,509 yards and six touchdowns over these three years. Smith-Schuster recorded the best catch percentage of his career in Kansas, at 75 percent in three seasons. 

His best year with the Chiefs was the Super Bowl season, in which he caught 88 receptions for 1,022 yards and scored three touchdowns. He did not get enough playing time during his second stint in Kansas City, recording only 576 yards in the last two years.

However, all might not be over for JuJu Smith-Schuster, thanks to the Pittsburgh Steelers running into some major trouble right before the season.

Former Chiefs JuJu Smith-Schuster can reunite with the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are down two very important players in Michael Pittman Jr. and DK Metcalf, the presumed starters this year. With both veterans out with injuries, at least for now, Smith-Schuster could hope for a chance to reunite with Pittsburgh, the team that drafted him. 

“A reunion seems like a win-win scenario for both the veteran receiver and the team that drafted him,” Andrew Vasquez of Steelers Wire wrote on August 18. “Pittman already tried to recruit Smith-Schuster before he joined the Giants, but now seems like the ideal opportunity to make this dream a reality.”

The WR spent five seasons with the Steelers before coming to Kansas City, recording some of his best numbers. He notched a career-high 111 receptions for 1,426 yards and seven receiving touchdowns in the 2018 season, and also led the league with the longest reception of the year, at 97 yards. Smith-Schuster also earned a Pro Bowl nod that year.

He might have to compete for a spot on the roster here too, which already has promising young talents in Roman Wilson and Germie Bernard. But if he manages to hang on, he could serve as an important backup if any of the players ahead of him go down with an injury during this season.

Head coach Mike McCarthy has always been vocal about playing the season with a deep quarterback room. Will that apply to the receivers room as well, and maybe open a spot for Smith-Schuster? Only time will tell.