NFL Free Agency Grades: Patriots get it wrong with JuJu Smith-Schuster

NFL Free Agency is simultaneously a chance for every NFL team and fan base to refresh its expectations and optimism while making potentially crippling financial mistakes. For the New England Patriots, making free agency mistakes isn’t exactly the norm through the years, but they have been spending a lot more money in recent offseasons than we are used to seeing.

Where can you make a mistake or two in free agency? Well, the most likely way to fall into the free agency trap is to be desperate. This year’s wide receiver market in free agency was thin, the NFL Draft class at that position isn’t great, and the trade market isn’t anywhere near as robust in 2023 as it was in 2022. Was it desperation that led to the Patriots signing former Chiefs and Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, or was it a wise investment?

Let’s break it all down.

Did the Patriots get it wrong with signing JuJu Smith-Schuster in NFL Free Agency?

The series of events that led to the New England Patriots ultimately signing JuJu Smith-Schuster is pretty fascinating. There have been rumors running rampant all offseason of a couple specific players available for trade, namely Denver Broncos receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton. The Patriots were apparently interested in one or both of those guys but the cost to acquire has been prohibitive.

The Patriots may even have been close to acquiring Jeudy at one point. There was a report out of Denver after the team’s failed attempts to sign Allen Lazard and Adam Thielen that a trade involving Jeudy might have been close to being done the week free agency began, although no team was specifically named.

When you look at what happened with the Patriots and their situation, it makes sense given all the pivoting that took place.

The Raiders poached Jakobi Meyers from the Patriots with a three-year, $33 million deal early on in free agency. When things seemingly went south for the Broncos and their pursuit of Lazard/Thielen, the price on Jeudy and Sutton stayed firm at day one or two picks, and the Patriots backed off their pursuit, ending up with JuJu Smith-Schuster.

That’s one possible theory of what all happened, but it makes sense. Why else would the Patriots let Meyers go to the Raiders and replace him with Smith-Schuster, at best a “wash” in terms of being a replacement when Meyers had developed chemistry with Mac Jones?

The only logical explanation is that they had to pivot off of “Plan A”. Smith-Schuster is a solid player, and the Patriots paid him accordingly. He received a three-year deal worth over $25 million and $16 million in guarantees. That’s not quite the deal Meyers received from the Raiders, but perhaps the Patriots were convinced after seeing Smith-Schuster rack up 78 receptions for over 900 yards and three touchdowns in Kansas City’s offense last season that he could be just as effective for them.

Given the going rate for top-flight wide receivers in 2023, the price the Patriots paid for Smith-Schuster is certainly not unreasonable. It’s simply the way this position has been approached by New England in recent years that is a bit frustrating. Is Jerry Jeudy really not worth the cost of the draft picks going back to Denver, especially when he already has a history and chemistry with Mac Jones? For slightly more money, they could have brought back Jakobi Meyers. At least, in theory.

Patriots grade for signing JuJu Smith-Schuster: C

Let’s get back to the question of whether or not the Patriots “got it wrong” with JuJu Smith-Schuster. Although it’s impossible to answer that without seeing him on the field for the Pats, I think it’s clear that the Patriots really settled here and pivoted to Smith-Schuster when preferable options passed them by.

We’ll see what happens in the 2023 NFL Draft, but I just don’t love this move for New England in the short term unless they can find a way to add more talent at the position through the NFL Draft or make the trade to land Jeudy from the Broncos.