{"id":33456,"date":"2025-03-16T01:52:44","date_gmt":"2025-03-16T01:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33456"},"modified":"2025-03-16T01:52:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-16T01:52:44","slug":"breaking-chiefs-re-sign-trusted-patrick-mahomes-target-despite-interest-from-other-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33456","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING : Chiefs Re-Sign Trusted Patrick Mahomes Target Despite \u2018Interest\u2019 From Other Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"l-article__header\"><\/header>\n<div class=\"l-article__meta\">\n<div class=\"l-article__meta-item l-article__meta-item--dates\">\n<ul class=\"c-meta c-meta--post c-meta--list c-meta--dates\">\n<li class=\"c-meta__item c-meta__item--updated\"><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"l-article__content\">\n<div class=\"c-content entry-content\">\n<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Patrick-Mahomes37-e1742075457938.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Patrick-Mahomes37-e1742075457938.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Patrick-Mahomes37-e1742075457938.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Patrick-Mahomes37-e1742075457938.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.\" width=\"780\" height=\"425\" data-img-load-time=\"235\" data-dom-ready-time=\"1545\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-image-caption-text\">The Kansas City Chiefs reunited with one of quarterback Patrick Mahomes&#8217; favorite wide receivers.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>It appears veteran wide receiver\u00a0JuJu Smith-Schuster\u00a0learned his lesson, as he elected to re-sign with quarterback\u00a0Patrick Mahomes\u00a0and the\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0in free agency this time around.<\/p>\n<p>FOX Sports NFL insider\u00a0Jordan Schultz was the first to report\u00a0the news on March 15, stating: \u201cBREAKING: The Chiefs are re-signing WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, multiple sources tell @NFLonFOX. A key weapon for Patrick Mahomes stays in Kansas City.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a follow-up post,\u00a0Schultz also revealed\u00a0that \u201cthe former Pro Bowler had interest elsewhere, but wanted to stay in KC.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_1_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-1 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>With fellow veteran\u00a0wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins\u00a0and\u00a0Justin Watson choosing to sign\u00a0with new teams in NFL free agency, getting Smith-Schuster back is more important than it seems.<\/p>\n<p>Like Watson, Smith-Schuster serves as more than just a pass-catcher for KC. The savvy, physical wide receiver uses his 6-foot-1 frame to play a grittier role as a blocker in both the run game and creative WR screens.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_2_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-2 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_2\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>He\u2019s also a proven team leader, providing a wealth of knowledge and experience for younger playmakers like\u00a0Rashee Rice\u00a0and\u00a0Xavier Worthy, among others.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, perhaps the most important reason for KC to re-sign Smith-Schuster in 2025 is his uncanny chemistry with Mahomes. Certain wide receivers just seem to click with the Chiefs\u2019 superstar QB, and Smith-Schuster has been one of them \u2014 operating well underneath in space similar to\u00a0Travis Kelce.<\/p>\n<p>And with Rice potentially missing time due to a possible suspension next year, Smith-Schuster\u2019s presence will be important as an integral backup who already has familiarity inside the KC system.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_3_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-3 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_3\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>JuJu Smith-Schuster Gets Do-Over of 2023 Free Agency, Choosing to Re-Up With Chiefs This Time<\/h2>\n<p>Just after Schultz broke the Smith-Schuster news, NFL Network insider\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TomPelissero\/status\/1901003149210419504\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">T<\/a>om Pelissero reported\u00a0that it will be a \u201cone-year deal\u201d for the veteran wide receiver. So, it\u2019s basically a short-term re-up for Smith-Schuster and Kansas City after the 28-year-old decided to return to his old team following his release last August.<\/p>\n<p>Although the reunion isn\u2019t surprising whatsoever, it is nice to see.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_4_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-4 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_4\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Two years ago in 2023, Smith-Schuster signed a\u00a0three-year, $25.5 million contract\u00a0with the\u00a0New England Patriots\u00a0just after winning a Super Bowl with the Chiefs. It was the first true multi-year payday of the pass-catcher\u2019s career \u2014 although he only ended up earning a little over $16.64 million worth of that disastrous deal with New England according to Over the Cap.<\/p>\n<p>By comparison the Chiefs only paid Smith-Schuster $1.21 million in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Financials aside, faced with the same decision as two years ago \u2014 stay in KC, or sign elsewhere (likely for more money) \u2014 Smith-Schuster chose to rewrite history and return. And that\u2019s great news for the Chiefs as they attempt to win another championship in 2025.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_5_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-5 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_5\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes\u2019 Passer Rating Has Never Dropped Below 100.0 When Targeting WR JuJu Smith-Schuster<\/h2>\n<p>Although Smith-Schuster\u2019s overall production dipped in 2024, that was mostly due to a minimized role.<\/p>\n<p>Looking a little deeper at\u00a0his statistics, however, two areas still stand out as major positives in Smith-Schuster\u2019s game. The first is his track record with Mahomes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_6_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-6 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><iframe width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>We talked about it above, but Mahomes and Smith-Schuster have tangible proof of chemistry. Throughout the wideout\u2019s career, his quarterback\u2019s respective passer ratings have only finished above 100.0 when targeting him twice, in 2022 and 2024.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, when Smith-Schuster plays with Mahomes, his targets have never produced a passer rating under 100.0, at an accumulative 102.5 in 2022 and 106.4 in 2024 \u2014 which were both accomplished with Mahomes and the Chiefs.<\/p>\n<p>The second under-the-radar stat is Smith-Schuster\u2019s yards after catch.<\/p>\n<p>Despite only contributing 231 receiving yards last year, Smith-Schuster still managed 155 yards after catch. That means more than half of his production came after the ball was already in his hands, and that just so happens to fit the role that head coach Andy Reid needs Smith-Schuster to play.<\/p>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_7_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-7 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_7\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"google-ad-manager-fallback-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"c-content entry-content\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"l-article__author-bio\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty The Kansas City Chiefs reunited with one of quarterback Patrick Mahomes&#8217; favorite wide receivers. It appears veteran wide receiver\u00a0JuJu Smith-Schuster\u00a0learned his lesson, as he elected to&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING : Chiefs Re-Sign Trusted Patrick Mahomes Target Despite \u2018Interest\u2019 From Other Teams - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=33456\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING : Chiefs Re-Sign Trusted Patrick Mahomes Target Despite \u2018Interest\u2019 From Other Teams - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Getty The Kansas City Chiefs reunited with one of quarterback Patrick Mahomes&#8217; favorite wide receivers. 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