Who Should I Start? Kyle Juszczyk or JuJu Smith-Schuster

Wednesday, March 13, 4:10 PM

San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk agreed to a restructured contract on Wednesday, according to his agent. The move clears roughly $1.75 million in cap space for the organization. The 32-year-old has been named to eight consecutive Pro Bowl rosters, and he earned his first All-Pro selection in 2023. Fullbacks are a dying breed in the NFL, yet Juszczyk is considered a valuable piece of the high-powered Niners offense, and he will remain the highest-paid player at the position under his new deal. In 11 NFL seasons, he has rushed 62 times for 221 yards and five touchdowns and hauled in 262 passes for 2,464 receiving yards and 16 scores.

Thursday, May 2, 2:33 PM

Starting next month, the New England Patriots could cut wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster at a cost of $9.6 million in dead money and no salary cap relief, per Over the Cap, while releasing him before then would incur $2.6 million more in dead money and take a small chunk out of their league-leading $54 million cap room. If the Pats traded Smith-Schuster after June 1, they'd save almost $7 million in cap space and clear room for their young receivers to see more playing time. New England could prioritize playing time for rookies Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, plus 2023 sixth-rounder Demario Douglas. It all means that Smith-Schuster may no longer be the team's No. 2 receiver, especially with Kendrick Bourne and K.J. Osborn also on the roster.