_(cropped).jpg) Smith-Schuster in 2023 | |||||||||
| No. 9 – Kansas City Chiefs | |||||||||
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1996-11-22)November 22, 1996 (age 29) Long Beach, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Long Beach Polytechnic | ||||||||
| College | USC (2014–2016) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2017: 2nd round, 62nd overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2025 | |||||||||
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John Sherman "JuJu"Smith-Schuster (néSmith; born November 22, 1996) is an American professionalfootballwide receiver for theKansas City Chiefs of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theUSC Trojans, earning second-teamAll-American honors in 2015. He was selected by thePittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the2017 NFL draft. With the Chiefs, he wonSuper Bowl LVII.
Smith-Schuster is the holder of several NFL records, including being the youngest player to reach 2,500 career receiving yards and the first player to have two offensive touchdowns of at least 97 yards. He also holds several Steelers franchise records. Off the field, he is also known for his social media presence and affinity forTikTok, which has earned him the nicknameTikTok Boy.[2] In 2019, Smith-Schuster was ranked bySports Business Daily as one of the NFL's most marketable players.[3]
Smith-Schuster began playing football at the age of eight. He changed his name in football program listings in 2012 from "John" to "JuJu," a nickname an aunt gave him when he was young, and legally changed his last name from "Smith" to "Smith-Schuster" while in college as a tribute to his step-father.[4] In his youth, Smith-Schuster was coached bySnoop Dogg when he played youth football with the Snoop Youth Football League,[5] where Snoop gave Smith-Schuster the nickname "Sportscenter," telling him that he believed one day his highlights would be shown on the flagshipESPN show.[4]
He later attendedLong Beach Polytechnic High School inLong Beach, California, the high school that at that time had the record for sending the most football players to careers in the NFL out of any in the United States.[6] He playedwide receiver andsafety for the school's Jackrabbitsfootball team.[7] Smith-Schuster was rated byRivals.com as a five-star recruit and was ranked as the second-best wide receiver in his class and the 24th-best player overall.[8] He initially decided to attendOregon, but then announced he would attend theUniversity of Southern California (USC) to playcollege football under then-head coachSteve Sarkisian[9] during his televised commitment.[10]
Smith-Schuster earned immediate playing time as atrue freshman in 2014.[11][12] In his first career game, he had fourreceptions for 123 yards againstFresno State in the 52–13 victory.[13] Against theWashington State Cougars, he had six receptions for 74 yards and three touchdowns in the 44–17 victory.[14] He finished the 2014 season with 54 receptions for 724 yards and five touchdowns.[15]
In the Trojans' second game of the 2015 season, Smith-Schuster had ten receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Idaho.[16] He followed that up with eight receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Stanford in the next game.[17] As a sophomore in 2015, he played in 14 games and led the team with 89 receptions for 1,454 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.[18][19]
On October 1, 2016, Smith-Schuster had seven receptions for 123 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Arizona State.[20] Two weeks later, in a win over Arizona, he had nine receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns.[21] As a junior in 2016 the Trojans used Smith-Schuster less.[22] He played in 13 games with 914 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.[23] That year he also helped the Trojans to a victory in theRose Bowl[4] over thePenn State Nittany Lions, catching seven passes for 133 yards and a receiving touchdown over the course of the game.[24] After the 2016 season, Smith-Schuster announced onTwitter[4] that he had decided to forgo his senior year and enter the2017 NFL draft,[25] before signing with sports agencyRoc Nation.[4] Fellow USC alumLynn Swann said of Smith-Schuster's pro-potential based upon his college career, "He's got the size. He's got the strength. He's got the attitude ... In Juju, you've got a guy who's got the kind of versatility you might be looking for."[26] Though he left before graduation, Smith-Schuster later returned to take summer courses at USC in order to work towards finishing his university degree.[27]
| Season | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Kickoff return | Defense | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | TD | Solo | Ast | Cmb | ||
| 2014 | USC | 13 | 13 | 54 | 724 | 13.4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 11 | 132 | 12.0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 2015 | USC | 14 | 14 | 89 | 1,454 | 16.3 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 51 | 12.8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | USC | 13 | 13 | 70 | 914 | 13.1 | 10 | 5 | 27 | 5.4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Career | 40 | 40 | 213 | 3,092 | 14.5 | 25 | 8 | 34 | 4.3 | 0 | 16 | 185 | 11.6 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 8 | |
Smith-Schuster received an invitation to theNFL Combine and performed nearly all of the combine drills and positional drills except for the three-cone drill and short shuttle. He opted to attend USC'sPro Day and performed the short shuttle and three-cone drill. In addition, he performed the vertical and broad jump and improved his combine number on both.[28] TheDallas Cowboys were the only team to hold a private workout with Smith-Schuster and showed heavy interest in him.[29] He was ranked as the fourth best wide receiver in the draft bySports Illustrated andESPN, and ninth by NFLDraftScout.com and draft analystMel Kiper Jr.[30][31][32]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Smith-Schuster's NFL Combine Workout | |
| Juju Smith-Schuster runs the 40-yard dash | |
| Juju Smith-Schuster bench presses 15 reps |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft1+3⁄8 in (1.86 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 32+7⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 10+1⁄2 in (0.27 m) | 4.54 s | 1.55 s | 2.65 s | 4.18 s | 6.93 s | 33+1⁄2 in (0.85 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | 15 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/USC'sPro Day[33][28] | ||||||||||||
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Steelers draft Smith-Schuster 62nd overall | |
| Smith-Schuster emotional after draft call |
ThePittsburgh Steelers selected Smith-Schuster in the second round (62nd overall) of the2017 NFL draft.[34] He was the youngest player selected in the 2017 Draft and was the 13th USC wide receiver drafted in the last 15 years.[35] On May 17, 2017, the Steelers signed him to a four-year, $4.19 million contract with $1.84 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.19 million.[36]
Smith-Schuster entered training camp competing withSammie Coates,Darrius Heyward-Bey,Eli Rogers,Marcus Tucker, andJustin Hunter to be the Steelers' third option at wide receiver on their depth chart. He was named the sixth wide receiver on the Steelers' depth chart to begin the regular season behindAntonio Brown,Martavis Bryant, Heyward-Bey, Rogers, and Hunter.[37]
Smith-Schuster made his NFL debut in the Steelers' season-opening victory over theCleveland Browns and was credited with his first career start as a kick returner, returning one kick for four yards.[38] When Smith-Schuster made his debut, he was the youngest player in the NFL.[39] In Week 2, Smith-Schuster recorded his first career reception and caught his first career touchdown on a four-yard pass from quarterbackBen Roethlisberger, as the Steelers defeated theMinnesota Vikings by a score of 26–9.[40] During the Vikings game, Smith-Schuster became the youngest NFL player to score a touchdown since running backAndy Livingston in 1964. He also became the second-youngest player in NFL history to catch a touchdown behindArnie Herber, who was 60 days younger than Smith-Schuster when he caught a touchdown in1930.[41]
During Week 7 against theCincinnati Bengals, Smith-Schuster caught his third touchdown pass of the season, a 31-yard reception, becoming the first player in NFL history to score three touchdowns before the age of 21.[35] On October 29, Smith-Schuster made his first career start at wide receiver and had a breakout performance with a season-high seven receptions for 193 receiving yards and scored a 97-yard touchdown during a 20–15 victory against theDetroit Lions. The 97-yard touchdown reception was also the longest pass play in team history and the longest touchdown reception in the league during the 2017 season.[42][43] Smith-Schuster started at wide receiver in place of Martavis Bryant, who was benched by head coachMike Tomlin after publicly asking for a trade.[44][45] His 193 yards was second only toJimmy Orr's 205 in 1958 for the most receiving yards by a Steelers rookie and the most by any NFL rookie sinceMike Evans' 209 in Week 11 of 2014.[46] He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 8 performance.[47]
On December 5, Smith-Schuster was suspended for one game after delivering a blindside block to Bengals' linebackerVontaze Burfict in Week 13.[48] In Week 17, he had a 96-yard kick return for a touchdown and also caught nine passes for 143 yards and a touchdown during a 28–24 victory over the Browns. With this performance, Smith-Schuster became the youngest player in NFL history to have over 1,000 all-purpose yards.[49] He was also named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his kick return touchdown.[50] He finished the season with 58 receptions for 917 yards and seven touchdowns, with the latter two statistics leading all rookies.[51][52] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[53] He was named the Polynesian Pro Football Player of the Year for 2017.[54]
The Steelers finished first in theAFC North with a 13–3 record and earned a first-round bye.[55] On January 14, 2018, Smith-Schuster started in his first playoff game and made three receptions for five yards and a late touchdown in a narrow 45–42 loss to theJacksonville Jaguars in theDivisional Round.[56]
On January 18, 2018, the Steelers promoted quarterback's coachRandy Fichtner to offensive coordinator after they opted not to renew former offensive coordinatorTodd Haley's contract.[57] Smith-Schuster entered training camp slated as a starting wide receiver after the Steelers tradedMartavis Bryant to theOakland Raiders for a third-round pick in the2018 NFL draft.[58] Tomlin named Smith-Schuster a starting wide receiver to begin the regular season, alongsideAntonio Brown.[59]
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Smith-Schuster started his second NFL season strong with nine receptions for 116 receiving yards in a 21–21 tie against the Browns.[60] He followed that performance up with a career-high 13 receptions for 121 receiving yards and a touchdown in a 42–37 loss to theKansas City Chiefs.[61] In Week 3, against theTampa Bay Buccaneers, he recorded nine receptions for 116 yards in the 30–27 victory.[62] Smith-Schuster broke another NFL record on November 25, against theDenver Broncos when he became to the first player ever to have two offensive touchdowns of at least 97 yards. The touchdown was part of a 13-reception, 189-yard performance in the loss.[63][64] In Week 14 against the Raiders, Smith-Schuster caught eight passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–21 loss. During Week 16 against theNew Orleans Saints, Smith-Schuster finished with 115 receiving yards as the Steelers lost 28–31; however, as the Steelers were progressing down the field into scoring position, Smith-Schuster committed a game-ending fumble.[65] This would ultimately be one of the causes of the Steelers missing the playoffs that season, as wins by theBaltimore Ravens andIndianapolis Colts the following week officially eliminated them.[66]
Smith-Schuster was voted team MVP by his teammates for the 2018 season, finishing the season with a team-high 111 receptions and 1,426 yards.[67] He also had seven touchdowns on the season, finishing second on the team only to Antonio Brown's 15 touchdown catches.[68] He finished fifth in the NFL in receiving yards.[69] Smith-Schuster made his first career Pro Bowl in 2018 as an alternate, after Brown announced that he would not participate in the game because of an injury.[70] He received an overall grade of 81.8 fromPro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 16th highest grade among all qualifying wide receivers.[71] He was ranked 47th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2019.[72]
Prior to the start of the season, the Steelers tradedAntonio Brown to the Raiders making Smith-Schuster the team's number one wide receiver.[73] In Week 1 against theNew England Patriots, Smith-Schuster caught six passes for 78 yards in the 33–3 loss.[74] In Week 2 against theSeattle Seahawks, Smith-Schuster caught five passes for 84 yards as the Steelers lost 28–26.[75]
In the game, Smith-Schuster passedRandy Moss as the youngest wide receiver to reach 2500 receiving yards (22 years, 297 days).[76] In Week 3 against theSan Francisco 49ers, Smith-Schuster caught three passes for 81 yards and a 76-yard touchdown pass as the Steelers lost 24–20.[77] Smith-Schuster caught seven passes for 75 yards and a touchdown in Week 5 against the Ravens. However, after the game went into overtime, he fumbled after catching a pass as Ravens cornerbackMarlon Humphrey punched the ball out of Smith-Schuster's arms. The fumble was costly as it allowed Baltimore to kick the game-winning field goal, sending the Steelers to a 26–23 overtime loss.[78]
In Week 8 against theMiami Dolphins, Smith-Schuster caught five passes for 103 yards and a touchdown in the 27–14 win. This was Smith-Schuster's first 100-yard receiving game of the season.[79] In Week 11 against the Browns, Smith-Schuster was knocked out after cornerbackGreedy Williams delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit on him. Prior to the injury, Smith-Schuster caught two passes for 21 yards in the 21–7 loss.[80] He missed all but the last two games of the season as he also suffered a knee injury from the Cleveland game.[81] Smith-Schuster finished the 2019 season with a career-low 552 yards and three touchdowns on 42 catches.[82]
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Smith-Schuster started the 2020 season off strong with six receptions for 69 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 26–16 victory over theNew York Giants.[83]In Week 9 against the Cowboys atAT&T Stadium, Smith-Schuster recorded six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown during the 24–19 win. After Smith-Schuster caught the aforementioned touchdown, he attempted to celebrate on the star at midfield, but was stopped by various Cowboys defenders.[84]In Week 16 against the Colts, Smith-Schuster recorded 9 catches for 96 yards, including the 25 yard game winning touchdown, during the 28–24 win.[85]
Smith-Schuster was the subject of controversy after dancing on several other opponents' midfield logos for hisTikTok followers prior to away games, including theBuffalo Bills and Bengals. Both teams took offense to Smith-Schuster's pre-game antics and used it as incentive to beat the Steelers,[86][87] with Bengals safetyVonn Bell landing a vicious hit on Smith-Schuster and forcing a fumble during the Bengals' 27–17 victory in Week 15.[87]
Overall, Smith-Schuster rebounded in his contract year with the Steelers, catching 97 passes for 831 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns operating mainly out of the slot.[88]
Smith-Schuster was also involved in a controversy in a pre-game conference against the Browns. Before the game, Smith-Schuster noted that "the Browns is the Browns," and called them "nameless gray faces".[89] In theWild Card Round of the playoffs against the Browns, Smith-Schuster recorded 13 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown during the 48–37 loss.[90]
On March 19, 2021, Smith-Schuster re-signed with the Steelers on a one-year, $8 million contract.[91]
In August 2021, two weeks before the Steelers matchup against the Bills in Week 1, he was the subject of controversy after being filmed attempting the viralmilk crate challenge, a challenge in which participants climb up and down a stack of milk crates.TikTok banned the challenge due to safety concerns such as serious injuries.[92]
In Week 5, Smith-Schuster suffered a severe shoulder injury during a win over the Broncos and was placed on injured reserve on October 16.[93] Three months later, days before the Steelers' Wild Card Round game against the Chiefs, a 21-day window for him was opened, and he was activated on January 15 for that matchup.[94][95]
In theWild Card Round of the playoffs, Smith-Schuster recorded five receptions for 26 yards, in the 42–21 loss against the Chiefs.[96]
Smith-Schuster signed with the Chiefs on March 20, 2022.[97] The contract was for one year worth a maximum of $10.75 million.[98] He scored his first touchdown as a member of the Chiefs on October 16, 2022, in a 20–24 loss to the Bills.[99] In the following game against the 49ers, he had seven receptions for 124 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 44–23 victory.[100] He finished the 2022 season with 78 receptions for 933 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[101]
In the 38–35 victory against thePhiladelphia Eagles inSuper Bowl LVII, Smith-Schuster caught seven passes for 53 yards.[102] With 1:54 remaining and the game tied 35–35, Smith-Schuster was involved in a pivotal play where he was held by Eagles cornerbackJames Bradberry on third down.[103] The holding call resulted in a first down for the Chiefs, allowing them to run down the clock before scoring the game-winning field goal.[104]
On March 17, 2023, Smith-Schuster signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Patriots.[105][106] In his first season in New England, Smith-Schuster finished the season with 29 catches for 260 yards and one touchdown through 11 games and seven starts.[107]
On August 9, 2024, the Patriots parted ways with Smith-Schuster after one season.[108]
On August 26, 2024, the Chiefs signed Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal, reuniting him with the team he played for in 2022.[109] Against theNew Orleans Saints in Week 5, Smith-Schuster amassed the most receiving yards in his career since the 2020–21 playoffs, finishing with 130 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions as the Chiefs won 26–13.[110] He finished the 2024 season with 18 receptions for 231 yards and two touchdowns.[111] He had two receptions for 16 yards in the 40–22 loss to the Eagles inSuper Bowl LIX.[112]
On March 15, 2025, Smith-Schuster re-signed with the Chiefs on a one-year contract.[113] Immediately following the Week 6 win over theDetroit Lions, Smith-Schuster attempted to shake hands with safetyBrian Branch, who proceeded to punch Smith-Schuster in the face and subsequently began a brief brawl between the two teams.[114]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Returning | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2017 | PIT | 14 | 7 | 58 | 917 | 15.8 | 97 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 240 | 26.7 | 96 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | PIT | 16 | 13 | 111 | 1,426 | 12.8 | 97 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 13 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 2019 | PIT | 12 | 12 | 42 | 552 | 13.1 | 76 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | PIT | 16 | 14 | 97 | 831 | 8.6 | 31 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 |
| 2021 | PIT | 5 | 5 | 15 | 129 | 8.6 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | KC | 16 | 14 | 78 | 933 | 12.0 | 53 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 |
| 2023 | NE | 11 | 7 | 29 | 260 | 9.0 | 37 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | KC | 14 | 8 | 18 | 231 | 12.8 | 50 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 104 | 80 | 448 | 5,279 | 11.8 | 97 | 32 | 4 | 22 | 5.5 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 240 | 26.7 | 96 | 1 | 8 | 5 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Returning | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2017 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1.7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 13 | 157 | 12.1 | 33 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 5 | 26 | 5.2 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | KC | 3 | 2 | 10 | 89 | 8.9 | 16 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | KC | 3 | 3 | 4 | 76 | 19.0 | 31 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 9 | 8 | 35 | 353 | 10.1 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Smith-Schuster is of African-American and Samoan descent and was raised inLong Beach, California. He is the second-eldest of seven children and is a Christian.[118] His cousin, Johnny Nansen, was formerly an assistant coach atUSC. Smith-Schuster's nickname "JuJu" came from his aunt when he was a few months old. She initially called him "John-John" before opting to call him "JuJu" instead.[119] He has one biological sister named So'omalo and their father was not active in their lives.[120] His stepfather, Lawrence Schuster, was introduced to his mother, Sammy (Toa) when Smith-Schuster was four years old.[119] Smith-Schuster legally hyphenated his last name after he turned 18, adding Schuster in honor of his stepfather.[121] Smith-Schuster states he grew up a fan of USC and looked up to wide receiversMarqise Lee,Robert Woods, andNelson Agholor.[122]
Smith-Schuster has built a widely-viewed presence on manysocial media, includingTikTok,[123]YouTube,[124]Twitter,[125] andTwitch.[126]
Smith-Schuster has used Twitch to stream himself playing games includingFortnite andCall of Duty: WWII.[22] In 2018 he participated inNinja's record-breakingFortnite stream includingDrake andTravis Scott.[127] While injured during the2019 season, Smith-Schuster participated in a liveThursday Night Football stream withTimTheTatman, for which he was paid $100,000.[22][128]
In February 2018, Smith-Schuster announced a partnership with the popular gaming groupFaZe Clan to sell merchandise.[129] He now has aYouTube channel using his full name that postsCall of Duty,Fortnite Battle Royale, and daily life videos that often feature hisFrench bulldog Boujee.[130][131]
In October 2020, Smith-Schuster announced that he would own a newesports team called Team Diverge. The team intends to include content from other athletes and musicians and would establish its owngaming house after the2020 NFL season ended.[132][133]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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