5 Patriots Leaving New England in the New Year

2. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR

It's safe to say that JuJu Smith-Schuster's first season in New England was an absolute bust. 

While a portion of Smith-Schuster's down year can be attributed to lackluster QB play, the veteran wideout didn't exactly do himself any favors. Heading into Week 17, Smith-Schuster had only hauled in 29 of his 47 targets (61.7%) for 260 yards and one touchdown — by far, the worst performance of his seven-year career. 

While a bounce-back campaign is certainly possible, I wouldn't count on it. After racking up over 1,400 yards as a sophomore in 2018, Smith-Schuster hasn't had any productive campaigns outside of when he won Super Bowl LVII with the Kansas City Chiefs last season. As far as I can tell, the Patriots don't have a Patrick Mahomes to help him return to that form. 

The 27-year-old pass-catcher still has two seasons remaining on his three-year, $33 million, but that doesn't guarantee he'll remain with the Patriots for its duration. New England can save just north of $5.3 million in cap if they trade him before June 1, which jumps up to $8 million after that date. 

Furthermore, Smith-Schuster can also be waived after June 1 to save $1 million if the trade market is dry. 

Nevertheless, given that he isn't even 30 yet, I wouldn't be surprised if there's at least one team out there willing to roll the dice. If that's the case, the Patriots must move on to properly begin a new era.