NFL Network analyst Shaun O’Hara says that free-agent wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster should sign with the Cincinnati Bengals.
The top of the wide receiver market has not moved much. Kenny Golladay has received interest from the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals, while Will Fuller is sitting on the market. Another receiver sitting around is JuJu Smith-Schuster, previously with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But where will he end up?
Former Giants offensive lineman and current NFL Network analyst Shaun O’Hara said on Wednesday that Smith-Schuster should join the rival Bengals. That has left a sour taste in both fanbases’ mouths.
Bengals: JuJu Smith-Schuster has heated history with Cincinnati
The last thing Steelers fans want to see is Smith-Schuster donning a Bengals uniform. As it turns out, most Cincy fans must feel the exact same way, because Smith-Schuster has enraged their fanbase over the years.
Things first heated up when the charismatic receiver laid out suspension-magnet Vontaze Burfict and stood over his body to taunt him in a 2017 game. In Week 15 of this past season, Smith-Schuster caught the ire of the Bengals for his pregame ritual of dancing on the midfield logo to post on his TikTok account. Safety Vonn Bell warned the wideout not to do it, but the wideout did it anyway. Bell laid out Smith-Schuster with a clean hit to the chest and forced a fumble during Cincinnati’s 27-17 win over Pittsburgh.
The Bengals offseason goal is obviously to provide quarterback Joe Burrow with as much help as possible. Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Auden Tate round out the wide receiver depth chart, but the team did allow A.J. Green to walk to the Arizona Cardinals via free agency.
Would Cincinnati actually consider adding Smith-Schuster? Well, all of the top offensive linemen in free agency have all signed, and the Bengals have $20.4 million in cap space to spend as of this writing. Adding Smith-Schuster would put the offense over the edge, but it might be a hard sell for the fanbase.