JuJu Smith-Schuster is changing his jersey number once again.
After wearing the No. 19 jersey with the Pittsburgh Steelers and No. 9 with the Kansas City Chiefs, the former Pro Bowl receiver hinted that he’ll be wearing No. 7 with the New England Patriots.
The No. 7 jersey belonged to Patriots punter Jake Bailey, who was cut from the team this offseason. There was talk of Smith-Schuster keeping the No. 9 jersey he wore in his one-and-done season with the Super Bowl champion Chiefs, but it would have cost him a hefty price tag to buy off Patriots four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Matthew Judon.
On his Instagram stories on Monday, Smith-Schuster showed off a graphic of himself wearing a No. 7 jersey.
Looks like JuJu Smith-Schuster will be wearing No. 7 for the Patriots, per his IG. The No. 9 he wore last season with KC and in college at USC belongs to Matthew Judon.
No. 7 opened up after the Pats cut Jake Bailey. pic.twitter.com/S86OIMGkxJ
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) April 10, 2023
The number doesn’t matter nearly as much as the production on the field, and the Patriots are going to need quite the herculean effort from Smith-Schuster given the current state of their receiving corps.
They still lack a legitimate No. 1 option at the position, and Smith-Schuster could be asked to carry a heavy load for the team in an AFC East division that’s suddenly one of the toughest in football.
