5 Patriots on the Hot Seat in Week 6 vs. Raiders

3. JuJu Smith-Schuster

Imagine that — yet another offensive player who's failed to meeting expectations.

With Jakobi Meyers leaving over the offseason, the Patriots signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to a three-year, $33 million deal, hoping that he could become their top wide receiver. After racking up over 900 receiving yards with the Kansas City Chiefs last season, New England fans had the right to feel hopeful.

... And then the 2023 campaign began, making it increasingly clear that Smith-Schuster isn't suited to be the top playmaker. The ex-USC Trojan has looked pedestrian on the gridiron, recording 14 catches for 86 yards with a drop.

For reference, there's a whopping total of six Patriots with more receiving yards than that.

Even if you try to justify his declining production by pointing out that he went from Patrick Mahomes to Jones, Smith-Schuster is the same wideout who averaged 46.0 yards per game (on pace for 782 in 17 games) in 2019 with Mason Rudolph, Delvin Hodges, and the corpse of Ben Roethlisberger throwing him the ball.

At this point, it's looking like Smith-Schuster's best days are behind him, and that $11 million annual price tag will only look worse with each passing season. If he comes up with another dud in Week 6, it's only going to be harder to justify his cap hit and spot on the roster.