As one former Pittsburgh Steelers player joins the New York Giants, another one leaves. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, after the Giants signed Najee Harris, they are planning on releasing former Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The move has sparked some rumblings about whether Pittsburgh should consider a reunion with Smith-Schuster, and the short answer is no. The Steelers wide receiver room is deeper and more talented than it has been in years, and adding Smith-Schuster would amount to little more than redundancy.

For once in the past half-decade, the Steelers’ wide receiver room has needed more depth. That may have finally changed in 2026. Pittsburgh goes at least four deep with Michael Pittman Jr., DK Metcalf, Roman Wilson, and Germie Bernard, plus special teams contributors Ben Skowronek and Kaden Wetjen. That’s a group with range, youth, and upside. Smith-Schuster, at this stage, doesn’t add anything the Steelers don’t already have.

The player JuJu used to be isn’t the player JuJu is now

Gone are the days when Smith-Schuster takes a seam pass 90 yards up the middle of the field and scores a touchdown the way he did against the Detroit Lions early in his Steelers career. That version of the player simply doesn’t exist anymore. What he is now is a possession receiver, a third-down chain mover, somebody you drop the ball off to and hope he can bang out a few extra yards using his physicality. Factor in the knee injuries and the general trajectory of the latter stage of his career, and the fit in Pittsburgh becomes even harder to justify.

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Pittsburgh already has what JuJu offers

The Steelers already have physical, bruising wide receivers in that room. Germie Bernard is exactly that type of player, only younger and more explosive. Pittman is exactly that type of player, only a better route runner, more nuanced, and more of a savant at the position. So the question becomes: what role would Smith-Schuster fill that isn’t already accounted for?

I get why the idea appeals to fans. Getting the band back together for one final run with Aaron Rodgers has a nice ring to it. But from a pure football standpoint, it just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. In my opinion, the Steelers are better served investing reps in the young players already on the roster than in a veteran whose skill set overlaps with what they have.

The one scenario where it could work

Now, if somebody gets injured, if one of those top four guys goes down, would it make sense for Smith-Schuster to come back? Probably. I could absolutely see that happening as an insurance policy. But for the time being, given the names in that room, given the archetypes and prototypes, and given what the Steelers offense is going to be under this coaching staff, bringing back Smith-Schuster doesn’t add enough value to warrant the roster spot.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a better position at wide receiver than they’ve been in years. Sometimes the best move is no move at all.