The Patriots are moving on from a veteran name.
New England is cutting receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, according to multiple reports on Friday.
The 27-year-old played one season in Foxborough, posting 29 catches for 260 yards and one touchdown in 11 games while dealing with a concussion and ankle sprain.
Smith-Schuster was entering the second year of a three-year, $25.5 million deal and is guaranteed $7 million this season despite his release.
Smith-Schuster played 11 snaps and was not targeted in the Patriots’ preseason-opening win over the Panthers on Thursday night.
The former USC standout has had an up-and-down NFL career.
After being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round in 2017, Smith-Schuster exploded onto the scene with 58 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns.
In his second season, Smith-Schuster blossomed into a star, posting 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns while making the Pro Bowl.
However, his numbers during his final three years in the Steel City weren’t quite on par as he dealt with significant shoulder and knee injuries.
In that span, Smith-Schuster totaled 154 catches for 1,512 yards and 12 touchdowns.
In 2022, the receiver signed with the Chiefs on a one-year, prove-it deal, where he collected 78 catches for 933 yards and three touchdowns.
Although Smith-Schuster won Super Bowl 57 with Kansas City — including catching seven catches for 53 yards in the game — the team elected not to retain him.
Smith-Schuster was on the outside looking in after the Patriots and new head coach Jerod Mayo signed K.J. Osborn as well as drafted both Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker in April.
Off the field, Smith-Schuster gained infamy because he danced on opponents’ logos during the Steelers’ 2020 season, not to mention because of his polarizing TikToks.