Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was named the team's 2018 Most Valuable Player, it was announced on Thursday afternoon.
Smith-Schuster earns Steelers' MVP honors for the first time in just his second season in the National Football League.
"I want to thank the man upstairs," said Smith-Schuster. "Without him I wouldn't be where I am today. I want to thank my teammates, coaches, everyone who got me where I am today, other great players like Antonio (Brown), Ben (Roethlisberger), Cam Heyward. Players I look up to. It's awesome. I never thought I would be where I am today, year two. I have to keep striving."
Smith-Schuster leads all AFC players, tied for fifth among all NFL players, with 106 receptions in 2018, and is fourth in the NFL with 1,389 receiving yards to go along with six touchdown catches. His 1,389 receiving yards in 2018 are the seventh-most by a Steeler in a single season in team history, and his eight 100-yard receiving games, third-most by any NFL player through Week 16, are tied as the second-most by a Steeler in a single season in team history (Antonio Brown, 2015: 9).
Smith-Schuster registered the 150th reception of his NFL career, and with the Steelers, in his 28th career game during the 2018 season, setting a franchise record for the fewest games to the milestone, and he reached the 1,500-receiving yard marker in his 21st career game to establish a new team record.
With 106 catches in 2018, at the age of 22 years and 31 days old, Smith-Schuster surpassed Larry Fitzgerald (22 years, 123 days) as the youngest player to reach 100 receptions in a single-season in NFL history.
The following is the list of Steelers MVPs since 1969:
1969 - WR Roy Jefferson
1970 - DT Joe Greene
1971 - LB Andy Russell
1972 - RB Franco Harris
1973 - WR Ron Shanklin
1974 - S Glen Edwards
1975 - CB Mel Blount
1976 - LB Jack Lambert
1977 - QB Terry Bradshaw
1978 - QB Terry Bradshaw
1979 - WR John Stallworth
1980 - SS Donnie Shell
1981 - LB Jack Lambert
1982 - CB Dwayne Woodruff
1983 - PK Gary Anderson
1984 - WR John Stallworth
1985 - WR Louis Lipps
1986 - LB Bryan Hinkle
1987 - LB Mike Merriweather
1988 - LB David Little & CB Rod Woodson
1989 - WR Louis Lipps
1990 - CB Rod Woodson
1991 - LB Greg Lloyd
1992 - RB Barry Foster
1993 - CB Rod Woodson
1994 - LB Greg Lloyd
1995 - QB Neil O'Donnell
1996 - RB Jerome Bettis
1997 - RB Jerome Bettis
1998 - LB Levon Kirkland
1999 - LB Levon Kirkland
2000 - RB Jerome Bettis
2001 - QB Kordell Stewart
2002 - WR Hines Ward & LB Joey Porter
2003 - WR Hines Ward
2004 - LB James Farrior
2005 - NT Casey Hampton & WR Hines Ward
2006 - RB Willie Parker
2007 - LB James Harrison
2008 - LB James Harrison
2009 - QB Ben Roethlisberger
2010 - SS Troy Polamalu
2011 - WR Antonio Brown
2012 - TE Heath Miller
2013 - WR Antonio Brown
2014 - RB Le'Veon Bell
2015 - WR Antonio Brown
2016 - RB Le'Veon Bell
2017 - WR Antonio Brown
2018 - WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
