Former Patriots flop scores decisive touchdown after returning to old team

Since returning to the Kansas City Chiefs, JuJu Smith-Schuster has already matched his touchdown total from his time with the New England Patriots.

The former Patriots free agent made a big contribution for the Chiefs in their win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night. The veteran receiver caught two passes for 17 yards, including a third-quarter touchdown that was the difference in Atlanta's 22-17 victory.

The game marks Smith-Schuster's first offensive performance since returning to Kansas City (and an offense in which he gets to play with Patrick Mahomes).

The 27-year-old is coming off a disappointing season in New England. In 2023, Smith-Schuster signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract with the Patriots in the expectation that he would become the team's new top receiver.

But that didn't work out. Instead, Smith-Schuster struggled in his return from a knee injury and delivered only poor results.

For the Patriots, Smith-Schuster played in 11 games in 2023, catching 29 passes for 260 yards and 1 touchdown.

Despite optimistic assessments that his knee had improved in the offseason, Smith-Schuster failed to stand out in training camp and got lost in the crowd of receivers.

Smith-Schuster's time in New England ended on August 9, when it was announced that the team had decided to release him. The veteran receiver would have had to make $10.28 million against the salary cap. Even after his release, he still cost the team $9.63 million in dead cap money.

This isn't the first time Smith-Schuster has made a comeback in Kansas City. He did something similar in 2022. After an unproductive and injury-plagued end to his five-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the receiver signed a cheap contract with the Chiefs in 2022.

This season, Smith-Schuster caught 78 passes for 933 yards, contributing to the team's Super Bowl run.