JuJu’s proved in K.C. he’s still got it

PHOENIX — JuJu Smith-Schuster doesn’t have Tyreek Hill’s wheels, but he showed this season that he was up to the challenge of being more than a third wheel.

Asked Monday at opening night for Super Bowl 57 what he proved this season after moving from the Steelers to the Chiefs, Smith-Schuster didn’t hesitate: “That I still can play ball, man.”

One of the best receivers in the NFL during his second season — when he totaled 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns for the 2018 Steelers — Smith-Schuster fell on harder times over the next three seasons when AllPro receiver Antonio Brown was no longer drawing away defensive attention. He bottomed out last season with a five-game season marred by “a shoulder injury that kind of held me back.”

Smith-Schuster, 26, is about to be a free agent for the third straight offseason, after taking a pair of one-year deals with the Steelers and the Chiefs when he was expected to fare better. In a depressed receiver free-agent market this offseason — and with the Giants among teams desperate for an upgrade at receiver — Smith-Schuster might be better positioned to cash in following 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns.

“It’s not frustrating at all because I’m betting on myself,” Smith-Schuster said of his inability to secure a multiyear contract. “I’m going to keep doing that. One of my really good friends posted on Instagram the other day, ‘Betting on yourself is the number-one thing you ever do.’ I’ve been doing that since I got in this league. I knew that I had to prove myself this year to say I can still play ball — and I still can.”

During an hour-long interview at the podium, Smith-Schuster didn’t take any shots at the Steelers — comparing head coaches Mike Tomlin and Andy Reid as “two guys you don’t want to let down”.

Smith-Schuster actually got a better opportunity than expected in Kansas City. About a week after he signed to be a complement to Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, the Chiefs traded the speedster Hill to the Dolphins, which opened up an opportunity to be their No. 1 threat outside of the All-Pro tight end.

“It was crazy,” Smith-Schuster said. “I was hoping Tyreek and Travis were going to be our guys. Come to find out the changes and we’re still here [in the Super Bowl]. I don’t think it was ever about me filling shoes. It was, now I have more opportunities to make plays for this team.”