Absolutely clueless Steelers: JuJu’s agent lied about his having an offer from Philadelphia, according to SI: “Eagles Didn't Chase JuJu Smith-Schuster”


The clueless Steelers: First, an over-the-hill QB, then a highly-overrated WR, and no Super Bowls for the next decade -- or the last decade

... and Adam Schefter bought it hook, line, and Steeler


Did JuJu Smith Schuster and his agent con the Steelers into offering him a new contract, albeit about six million less than he wanted with just a one-year contract?


It looks that way based on what the Philadelphia Eagles were saying after ESPN quoted that they had made a big money offer to him. 


Certainly, ESPN’s Adam Schefter had egg on his face after it was revealed that the Eagles never even talked to the Steeler wideout — though he made a big deal about it. 


The facts


To understand the actual facts, here is what “EaglesMaven” John McMullen wrote for SI,


The Eagles were prepared to finally make a splash in free agency, attempting to lure receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster across the state with a multi-year deal with more than $8 million per season.


Or were they?


Those were the dueling narratives ESPN’s Adam Schefter put out Friday afternoon after the fifth-year receiver out of Southern California re-upped with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year deal for $8M.


According to NFL sources, two AFC powerhouses - Baltimore and Kansas City - were also in on the bidding for Smith-Schuster, 24, a player who has amassed 308 receptions for 3,726 yards and 26 touchdowns over his first four NFL seasons after arriving as a second-round pick in the 2017 draft.


First, Schefter indicated Smith-Schuster turned down more money and multiple years from the Eagles who emerged as a “secret suitor,” only to correct the record moments later.


Adam Schefter


@AdamSchefter


JuJu Smith-Schuster also turned down more money on a multi-year deal from the Eagles than he took to return to the Steelers, per source. The Eagles’ were a secret suitor. But Smith-Schuster loved Pittsburgh and its fans too much to leave.


Adam Schefter


@AdamSchefter


Here’s the interesting part on Steelers’ WR JuJu Smith-Schuster’s one-year deal with Pittsburgh: the Ravens made a hard push to sign him and he wound up taking significantly less money to go back to the Steelers, per sources.


12:39 PM · Mar 19, 2021


John McMullen, “Eagles didn’t chase JuJu Smith-Schuster,” Sports Illustrated, March 19, 2021


Except that the Eagles called him out on that. 


Did Schefter’s retraction mean that no one offered him money?


Twelve minutes after he sent that tweet, Schefter had to retract it,


Adam Schefter


@AdamSchefter


In this case, JuJu Smith-Schuster’s agent called the Eagles to gauge their interest; those were the discussions. The Eagles did not wind up courting him. JuJu back to Pittsburgh, which was what he wanted.


https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1372961466274492426…

12:51 PM · Mar 19, 2021


Understand that the Eagles called out Schefter right away because of the incorrect information in the first tweet. 


As John McMullen wrote,


What likely happened is that Smith-Schuster’s agent tried to bolster his client’s demand around the league only to be corrected by the Eagles.


The claim from Philadelphia is that JuJu’s camp contacted the Eagles to gauge their interest and the Eagles were never serious in their pursuit, no doubt hampered by the team’s salary-cap woes.


John McMullen, SI, March 19, 2021


So, all of this was fiction, something that his agent drummed up to force the Steelers to come up with something. Why they want him is another matter.


However, Schefter never retracted anything about the Chiefs having offered Smith-Schuster anything — or the Ravens. 


If a team like the Chiefs had offered JuJu more money and a longer contract with the possibility of going to a Super Bowl, which even the most rabid Steeler fans realize is never going to happen in the 2020s, why would he have turned them down?


Same for the Ravens. They have a much better chance of reaching a Super Bowl than the Steelers do. 


Conclusion


What likely happened is that the Steeler receiver agent talked to all of those three teams and made a proposal that would have included more money and more years. 


Except that like the Eagles, the other two teams did not make an offer, either — at least at those numbers. 


But, the clueless Steelers did. 

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