Last week, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer dropped what would qualify as an eye-opening bit of information during an an appearance on NBC Sports Boston.
When discussing the health of New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster’s knee, Breer passed a couple of alarming comments.
“The underrated story here: JuJu Smith-Schuster’s knee is a mess. That thing could explode at any point. So, you almost have to keep an extra receiver because of that,” Breer said.
Could another Patriots trade happen this week? @AlbertBreer & @GregABedard join Felger to discuss pic.twitter.com/GPk0N8D4LW
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) August 28, 2023
Smith-Schuster suffered a knee injury while playing for the Kansas City Chiefs in last year’s AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The veteran wideout had to manage the issue leading up to the Super Bowl, but still went out and played, catching seven passes for 53 yards in Kansas City’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I don’t think my knee is a ticking time bomb,” Smith-Schuster told MassLive recently in response to Breer’s report. “If anything, it’s something that’s getting stronger every day.”
However, Smith-Schuster did reveal the clean up surgery he had after the Super Bowl plus a long flight were the reasons he missed offseason activities with the Pats.
“From the clean up surgery, and traveling to Japan after the Super Bowl, I needed some time,” he said. “There was some swelling after a six-hour flight, but it’s good now. It feels great. I haven’t missed practice since (training camp started).”
New England signed Smith-Schuster to a three-year, $33 million contract this offseason.