JuJu Smith-Schuster wants to stay in Pittsburgh

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Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger apparently will remain in Pittsburgh. Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster hopes that his future there eventually be secured, too.

Smith-Schuster recently told TMZ.com that he hopes to stay with the Steelers for the rest of his career.

“At the end of the day, I want to have my legacy in Pittsburgh and retire there,” Smith-Schuster said. “I don’t want to leave.”His rookie contract is expiring, and Smith-Schuster (a second-round pick in 2017 and the team’s MVP in 2018) will become a free agent on March 17, absent a new contract or application of the franchise tagged. It’s highly unlikely that the Steelers will tag Smith-Schuster. It will be very difficult for the Steelers to make a significant offer, given the team’s current cap situation.

Asked whether he can see himself in a different jersey next season, Smith-Schuster told TMZ.com, “Not right now. Until I actually get let go, other than that, I’m Pittsburgh for life.”

For Smith-Schuster, the question ultimately becomes whether he’d take less to stay in Pittsburgh than to play somewhere else — assuming that the Steelers want to continue the relationship. Given their other receivers and their ability to keep finding more of them in the draft, the team may be ready to move on.