Arrowhead Pride
The wide receiver came back to the Chiefs in 2024 after a brief stint with the Patriots.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is back in familiar territory, preparing for another Super Bowl run. After a season with the New England Patriots, Smith-Schuster finds himself again with the reigning champions, an opportunity he did not see coming.
“Ideally, no, you know, thinking that I was going to spend my next three years in New England, “Smith-Schuster admitted when asked if he thought he would be back in Kansas City. “This is a great organization, so when I left, they were doing great things; they won a Super Bowl last year and being able to come back here for my second time and to be in the Super Bowl for the second time, it’s an unbelievable organization.”
Now that he has returned, Smith-Schuster is embracing the moment and the work that comes with repeating past success.
“Feels great to be back here, man, it’s a blessing,” he said. “To repeat that success, it’s just working every single day, what I’m used to, day in, day out, working with the quarterback, getting on the same page and making sure that we’re all doing our details because it matters.”
With their recent run, the Chiefs have become a polarizing team among fans, but Smith-Schuster believes players across the league admire and want to be part of the culture.
“I feel like when you’re the winning team in the past, you know, three, four, five years, fans would say that,” Smith-Schuster said of the negative comments from fans of other NFL teams. “As players, I think anybody would love to play in this organization; it just has, like, that good feeling of the camaraderie…everyone’s on the same page and stuff.”
In his eighth year in the league and on his third NFL team, Smith-Schuster said a big part of KC’s appeal is head coach Andy Reid. Reid is one of the winningest coaches in NFL history and continues to set the standard for offensive innovation. Smith-Schuster praises Reid’s offensive ability.
“He’s just such a great coach, on the field, off the field,” said Smith-Schuster. “[The] energy he brings and what he teaches us is unbelievable, so it’s nice that you could have a guy like him who makes your job a lot easier.”
The Chiefs are chasing a historic three-peat, but Smith-Schuster insists the team isn’t letting the pressure get to them. The veteran receiver shared that the team hears the outside noise but remains focused on the task at hand.
“I think those conversations have been going on all year,” he revealed. “I think for all of us, it’s always been just, take it one game at a time.”
“Obviously, it’s out there, it’s something that people talk about, but for us, I think it’s just focusing on winning the next game.”
Comparing his first stint with the Chiefs to now, Smith-Schuster sees consistency in the franchise’s winning formula.
“Back in 2022,...
