JuJu to Kansas City

[Dante84]

#ChiefsKingdom Let’s Go!

— JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) March 18, 2022

JuJu Smith-Schuster is getting a one-year, $10.75M deal with the Chiefs, per source.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 18, 2022

[JPH83]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

In a thoroughly awful passing offense he's managed 26 receptions on 31 targets. He's run about 1/2 his routes from the slot, about 40% from wide (the remainder 'inline'). Averages nearly 3 yards per route run (elite) with outstanding YAC skills.

Now it's worth noting that he has all of 5 receptions this year past the LOS (on 9 targets). His been used very much in a niche capacity.

But he's a big, strong, fast kid with strong hands and some obvious skills. I think we definitely could've used him especially when you consider the creativity that Reid and Nagy bring to the table in the short passing game.

Might he have been redundant this year? Yeah, especially after the Toney trade. But Toney can be an X or even a Z long-term and at that point having Shenault to effectively replace the Hardman gadget role would be pretty nice.

But there must be something we don't know about. It happens. Just seemed like a really great fit.

Yeah it's the YAC that I liked. Guy is like a RB once you get him the ball, it's just getting it to him. As you say, probably redundant with who we now have but if he flames out and it's a later round pick for a trade, cool, go get him.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Not good. At all.

Again, figure best case scenario we can reasonably expect to get to $60 million in cap space before we address LT. And that's with 20+ guys to add to the roster.

A $20 million cap charge for any single player probably takes a veteran LT out of the equation. And if it doesn't, it definitely means you're needing another MASSIVE rookie class contribution in addition to more fringe roster types on the squad at the league minimum.

Forget retaining Thornhill - you may struggle to hold on to someone like Saunders as that point.

We just cannot spend like sailors here. If you're paying $20 million for a WR, you'd better be REALLY sure he moves the needle. Enough that you're willing to get weaker at other spots on the roster to justify it.

This is my biggest reason against spending for a WR.

We've got Mahomes and Andy. They're gonna have to cover some warts so to speak there because the LT and DE spot is just really important.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by O.city

Jarvis Landry....Darius Slayton....

Come on.

In a scenario where you need to buy time to find a WR1, why not? These would be stopgaps. With slayton you get a decent WR2 who can play WR1 until a rookie is ready. This is purely for a scenario where you aggressively draft a WR1.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by JPH83

The age is probably the biggest issue making me wary of a Hopkins trade. But if the option was Juju for $20m or Hopkins for the same minus a 4th, maaaybe a 3rd...yeah I'd be considering it. Imo he's significant.enough of an upgrade.

JuJu won't have a year 1 hit of $20 million.

Maybe a 2-year average at/near $20 million after accounting for some dead money you absorb on the back end, but that 2 year average is realistically spread over 3 or 4 years depending on how you manage said dead money.

But I suspect a LTC for JuJu yields a year 1 figure of around $8-10 million; about half of what we'd pay for Hopkins.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by JPH83

The age is probably the biggest issue making me wary of a Hopkins trade. But if the option was Juju for $20m or Hopkins for the same minus a 4th, maaaybe a 3rd...yeah I'd be considering it. Imo he's significant.enough of an upgrade.

Yeah, and I wasn't really thinking about it that way, but that makes a ton of sense to me. If my choices are pay JJSS $18+M for what he brings/doesn't bring, vs. paying DHop $20M plus a 3rd/4th, when he's so obviously a much better WR across the board, there's no comparison. You take DHop.

Btw, DHop has only missed 8 games in his career due to injury. he missed 6 games this season due to suspension.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Not good. At all.

Again, figure best case scenario we can reasonably expect to get to $60 million in cap space before we address LT. And that's with 20+ guys to add to the roster.

A $20 million cap charge for any single player probably takes a veteran LT out of the equation. And if it doesn't, it definitely means you're needing another MASSIVE rookie class contribution in addition to more fringe roster types on the squad at the league minimum.

Forget retaining Thornhill - you may struggle to hold on to someone like Saunders as that point.

We just cannot spend like sailors here. If you're paying $20 million for a WR, you'd better be REALLY sure he moves the needle. Enough that you're willing to get weaker at other spots on the roster to justify it.

Okay, say i agree with you on all of that (no reason not to, just not going to do the due diligence myself), then how were we going to afford paying JJSS close to $125-$18M/yr? Or maybe you're saying that we were never going to do that either?

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Megatron96

Okay, say i agree with you on all of that (no reason not to, just not going to do the due diligence myself), then how were we going to afford paying JJSS close to $125-$18M/yr? Or maybe you're saying that we were never going to do that either?

Already answered ya in my response to JPH.

He'll have a year 1 hit that tops out at $10 million if he returns, IIRC. That's a pretty big chunk of your remaining space left in play, no?

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Already answered ya in my response to O.City.

He'll have a year 1 hit that tops out at $10 million if he returns, IIRC.

Ah, got it. thx.

[ToxSocks]

Toney being on the roster kinda changes my feelings on how to attack the WR position going forward.

As of today, i'd like to see the WR room retain Hardman and replace JJSS with a 1st or 2nd round proto-type WR.

Again...we coulda done that during the last draft but...****, some day i'll get over it.

Just like last season....give me a 6-0" to 6-3" ish, 220lb WR that can run a 4.40-4.50 with a large catch radius and a knack for the difficult, spectacular catch. Someone who can be a physical presence and can bail out Mahomes on occasion. We need to draft and develop one of THOSE guys.

[Megatron96]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Toney being on the roster kinda changes my feelings on how to attack the WR position going forward.


Just like last season....give me a 6-0" to 6-3" ish, 220lb WR that can run a 4.40-4.50 with a large catch radius and a knack for the difficult, spectacular catch. Someone who can be a physical presence and can bail out Mahomes on occasion. We need to draft and develop one of THOSE guys.

this.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Toney being on the roster kinda changes my feelings on how to attack the WR position going forward.

As of today, i'd like to see the WR room retain Hardman and replace JJSS with a 1st or 2nd round proto-type WR.

Again...we coulda done that during the last draft but...****, some day i'll get over it.

Just like last season....give me a 6-0" to 6-3" ish, 220lb WR that can run a 4.40-4.50 with a large catch radius and a knack for the difficult, spectacular catch. Someone who can be a physical presence and can bail out Mahomes on occasion. We need to draft and develop one of THOSE guys.

Eh - I don't really care about 'physical presence' much anymore. At least not while we have Kelce, who's always going to be Mahomes jam guy.

Give me 4 guys who are 5'10''-6'1'' who can run 4.4s and make speed cuts without losing their momentum and I'm gonna be happy.

Crisp, quick route runners with plus speed are what I'm after. Brandon Aiyuk is about as much of an explosion for size trade as I'd be willing to make. If I'm looking at a bigger guy, it's still more of a late round/UDFA flyer like Marquez Callaway who has plus body control to make contested catches rather than just someone who will body guys off.

Physicality is for teams that can't scheme guys into space or don't have a QB who will go through his progressions adequately. We don't have to worry about that. Our biggest issues with size don't surface until the red zone and that's when Kelce and the RBs come into play. I mean it's not like JuJu's 3 TDs have made him some red zone monster or anything; dude has 1 red zone score this year.

In our offense, size really doesn't matter. Unless you're talking about the hog that Kelce has to lug around out there...

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Give me 4 guys who are 5'10''-6'1'' who can run 4.4s and make speed cuts without losing their momentum and I'm gonna be happy.

.

So long as that guy can play big. Toney is a smaller guy who goes up and snags that shit. Plays bigger than he is when the ball is in the air. There's been a number of guys to come out of the draft the last few years who fit that mold.

DeVonta Smith, Jaylon Waddle for example. Size isn't so much the pressing issue for me, as it is the ability to go up and snag an imperfect throw, while still having the speed to be a true deep threat.

Man...a prime Odell Beckham....something in that mold would be outstanding too.

As much of a Hardman stan as i am, i'm tired of seeing receivers who can't come down with the ball unless it's perfect throw.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

So long as that guy can play big. Toney is a smaller guy who goes up and snags that shit. Plays bigger than he is when the ball is in the air. There's been a number of guys to come out of the draft the last few years who fit that mold.

DeVonta Smith, Jaylon Waddle for example. Size isn't so much the pressing issue for me, as it is the ability to go up and snag an imperfect throw, while still having the speed to be a true deep threat.

Man...a prime Odell Beckham....something in that mold would be outstanding too.

As much of a Hardman stan as i am, i'm tired of seeing receivers who can't come down with the ball unless it's perfect throw.

Tyler Lockett has never been accused of 'playing big' and I'd take 4 guys just like him.

I don't want a bunch of Albert Wilson's out there alligator arming passes, but I can live with my WRs making the occasional business decision if they present explosive options in space.

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by O.city

College football is flooding the NFL with good WR's every year.

This isn't hard guys. Keep swinging in at them there.

I think one team will pay Hardman more than we care to bc of his speed. Juju on the other hand will probably get around $15-17 million avg, which on a 3 year Sammy Watkins type deal (2 fair cap hits; cut in year 3) you get a nice set up.

But we shouldn’t keep both. And honestly I think we should draft an MVS type WR in rd 4 or 5 to replace him in 2024.

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Tyler Lockett has never been accused of 'playing big' and I'd take 4 guys just like him.

I don't want a bunch of Albert Wilson's out there alligator arming passes, but I can live with my WRs making the occasional business decision if they present explosive options in space.

Ah yes I see. DJ wants to go the full 2017 Patriots route. Elite TE (Gronk) and 4 WR’s that can be incredibly explosive in space:

Julian Edelman
Brandon Cooks
Danny Amendola
Chris Hogan

I respect it. Would be quite fun