JuJu Smith-Schuster's release has Patriots staffer eating crow, not Bill Belichick

The entirety of JuJu Smith-Schuster's time with the Patriots seemed to be chaotic, even at the beginning. When Bill Belichick decided to let Jakobi Meyers leave in free agency and signed Smith-Schuster to a nearly identical contract, there was a lot of speculation regarding his choice.

Meyers had become a staple within the Patriots offense, especially thriving with Mac Jones, and had ascended to the top of the depth chart because of his impressive production. He looked to have done all the right things to secure an extension, only to be tossed to the side for an injured veteran.

When Smith-Schuster signed with the Patriots on a 3-year, $25,500,000 deal, he was coming from a Super Bowl-winning season with the Chiefs that nearly ended due to a nagging knee injury. Despite his best efforts to claim he was healthy, his lack of production on game day proved otherwise.

He said as much earlier this offseason when speaking to reporters about his status, stating he felt far better now than he did last season. Unfortunately, whether due to his troubled knee or not, Smith-Schuster was unable to perform in the way the Patriots hoped or needed, which led to him being released after the team's first preseason game last Thursday.

It was an expected end to a forgettable tenure, and although it was the right decision, it brought a lot of attention to the decision to sign him in the first place, with most people placing blame on Belichick.

The problem with that logic, though, is that it wasn't the former head coach's choice to sign the former longtime Steeler, and it might have been the convincing of a current Patriots staffer who swayed Belichick to make the deal happen.

JuJu Smith-Schuster's forgettable Patriots tenure cannot be blamed on Bill Belichick

Despite Belichick historically making all of the roster decisions, the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan previously reported that Smith-Schuster was never a player the coach wanted to sign.

It was allegedly "front office decision makers" who sold him enough to Belichick that he chose to bypass re-signing Meyers in favor of Smith-Schuster.

"In the lead-up to free agency, the Pats had been split internally on whether to retain Meyers, their leading receiver for three straight seasons. Sources believe front-office decision-makers sold Belichick on Smith-Schuster’s yards after catch ability over what they had in Meyers. That, again, served as a surprise to outsiders, considering the Patriots weren’t connected to Smith-Schuster in 2022 when he had also been a free agent.

“Bill was never a JuJu guy,” one source said."

Rumors have swirled in the days since the veteran pass catcher was released, many suggesting the staffer's identity might be Eliot Wolf.

While there's no confirmation of that, the current executive vice president of player personnel was among the staff Belichick would speak with about roster decisions, which brings some validity to the speculation regarding his involvement.

If that's the case, this is a humbling moment for Wolf, as he is now taking on a lot more responsibility at the start of the Jerod Mayo era in New England. This is a big bust on his resume, but he's fortunately made some really good decisions with who was signed and who was let go this offseason that we might be able to forget about the Smith-Schuster experience.

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