One of the initial reactions many people had to the Patriots signing wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on Wednesday was noticing that the framework of his contract – three years for $33 million dollars – is the exact same outline the Las Vegas Raiders gave Jakobi Meyers on Tuesday – a framework the Patriots reportedly didn’t want to match.
Given that, it looks like the Patriots made a calculated decision to go from Meyers to Smith-Shuster as their slot receiver – a chance we explored in detail here. Now that the contract details of both players have been reported though, there are some notable difference in the way they’re structured.
It turns out Smith-Schuster’s contract is worth up to $25.5 million, not the original $33 million like Meyers. $16 million is guaranteed according to NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry. All of that guaranteed money is in the first two years of the contract. In addition to per game roster bonuses, it also includes $4.5 million in receiving yards bonuses over the duration of the contract.
JuJu Smith-Schuster deal details:
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) March 16, 2023
* 3 years, $25.5M
* $7.9M to sign
* '23 base ($1.1M), '24 base ($7M) fully gtd
* Total fully gtd: $16M
* ~$59k per game in roster bonuses '23-'25
* Up to $1.5M in receiving yds incentives in '23
* Up to $3M in receiving yds incentives in '24, '25Meyers has $21 million in ‘guaranteed money’ in his contract, but some of that can be voided if the Raiders part ways with him after the first season. In 2023, his guaranteed money is $11 million. It’s more of a year-to-year contract, where Smith-Schuster’s doesn’t truly have an out until after the 2024 season.
As Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan stated on Twitter, “Jakobi Meyers and JuJu Smith-Schuster did NOT receive the same deal. JuJu’s deal is more player-friendly in terms of fully guaranteed money ($16M to $10.5M). JuJu’s deal is more team-friendly in terms of he has to perform in order to get more cash.”
Given the timing of their signings and the nature of their contracts, expect there to be plenty of comparisons between Smith-Schuster and Meyers over the duration of their contracts. In the end though it will come down to what so many things in the NFL do – who wends up producing more.
Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].
