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JuJu Smith-Schuster’s No. 7 jersey is a tribute to his mom, who has seven children
"My mom’s favorite number is seven. She had seven kids, lucky No. 7 ... So, it was kind of a number that I picked that represented a lot of things."
The number seven is synonymous with luck.
But, for wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who wears No. 7 for the Patriots, the number carries more than one meaning.
“It kind of represents a lot of things, my mom’s favorite number is seven,” Smith-Schuster said. “She had seven kids, lucky No. 7, one of my favorite football players in soccer wears No. 7, Vinicius Jr., year seven [in the NFL]. So, it was kind of a number that I picked that represented a lot of things.”
Also, the Patriots have six Super Bowl wins. While they went 8-9 and missed the playoffs last season, Smith-Schuster said bringing a seventh title to Foxborough is a goal of his.
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“Seventh Super Bowl, there you go, add that in there too,” Smith-Schuster said. “That’s always a goal of mine for sure.”
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound receiver is coming off his first Super Bowl win with the Kansas City Chiefs. The only Chiefs player with more catches, targets, and receiving yards than Smith-Schuster last season was Travis Kelce.
Smith-Schuster said knowing how a championship feels only makes him hungrier to experience it again.
“I always wondered why a guy like Tom Brady, guys like Patrick Mahomes who have been there and done that, why they always want to go back,” Smith-Schuster said. “It’s because of that feeling. People always ask me what it feels like to win the Super Bowl and I was like, ‘It’s really hard to explain unless you’re in that moment.'”
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“The only way you can actually feel that moment is getting there,” Smith-Schuster continued. “So, that hunger on why those guys want to go back, I love it. It’s the best.”
Smith-Schuster said he hopes to use his experience to teach younger players and add veteran leadership.
Smith-Schuster has the versatility to line up both on the inside and outside. He says it’s an honor to follow in the footsteps of previous Patriots receivers.
“The slot position has been a big position here with Troy (Brown), to (Julian) Edelman to all these great guys who have been in this position,” Smith-Schuster said. “It’s an honor to play that position. Being able to play inside and outside, moving around, but having that opportunity to say I’m on the inside is really nice. It’s a compliment.”
Matt Groh, Patriots director of player personnel, was careful not to compare Smith-Schuster to Edelman or Brown but said that Smith-Schuster’s resume is good enough to stand on its own.
Smith-Schuster was a Pro Bowler in 2018 when he hauled in 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns. He played a role in Kansas City’s championship run last year and is looking to make a solid first impression in Foxborough.
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“We’re really excited to have JuJu. It’s good to see him out here today. He’s been working,” said Groh. “The guy loves ball. The guy wants to compete, and the guy is tough. So I know we’re used to seeing those types of players at his position around here. So having Juju around here, it’s a new face and a new name, but I don’t think it’ll be a big deviation from what people around here are accustomed to seeing.”
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