Just in case you were holding out hope that JuJu Smith-Schuster would somehow return to the Steelers next season despite his pending free agency, he quashed that Thursday night.
Sports Illustrated put out a poll asking if Smith-Schuster would return to the Steelers, and it elicited a vote from the fifth-year wide receiver.
His response?
Is the @TeamJuJu era over in Pittsburgh? 🤔
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 11, 2021
(via @Kaitlin_OToole) pic.twitter.com/YozPkWoXkf
"That's a negative," Smith-Schuster voted on Instagram to the question. The other option was "I hope so."
This, of course, goes again everything Smith-Schuster, a 2017 second-round draft pick, had been putting on social media in recent weeks about how much he'd like to return.
With the Steelers just $6 million under the $182.5 million salary cap, the team would have to move some additional salaries around to make that happen. Smith-Schuster, 25, is expected to receive a contract worth at least $12 million per year and potentially higher on the open market.
The legal tampering period in free agency begins Monday and the new league year and free agency officially begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
