Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is speaking publicly about his future, the infamous “Browns is the Browns” quote, logo dancing and offseason radio silence between him and Ben Roethlisberger.

The TikTok star and former Pro Bowl pass-catcher is about to become a free agent. He appeared on Fox Sports Radio with Doug Gottlieb Monday for a — you guessed it — sponsored interview for Oikos.

Aside from Smith-Schuster’s obvious heartfelt love for yogurt, he also talked about his approach to free agency. Gottlieb asked how the 24-year-old balances chasing a top-dollar contract against a winning tradition, fit, familiarity and Roethlisberger’s presence as an established quarterback in Pittsburgh.

“I’m always about winning,” Smith-Schuster said. “I am always down to be on a team that is fighting and competing for the playoffs every year. As far as the business side and the money, I want to be paid for what I am worth. For what I do for this team particularly. Then again, it all makes sense to bring in Ben and have a quarterback that I can play with for the future.”

Well, Ben is already here. And will be for at least one more year based on his contract and everything that he and team owner Art Rooney II have said. So I’m not sure what Smith-Schuster means by “bring in Ben.” But since we are on the topic, has JuJu heard from Big Ben?

@GottliebShow: "Juju, since the season has ended, have you spoken with Ben (Roethlisberger)?

@TeamJuJu: "I have not talked to Ben...since the last game."

@GottliebShow: "Is that normal?"

Hear JuJu's answer below: pic.twitter.com/16UdqmL351

— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) February 2, 2021

“I have not talked to Ben since the last game,” Smith-Schuster said, adding that he normally stays in touch with Roethlisberger during the offseason.

But he clarified that point, noting “this year is a little bit different” because Roethlisberger is sorting out his future as well.

“I would love to come back. I would love to play with Ben for his time here,” Smith-Schuster added. He also praised Roethlisberger’s stated willingness to restructure his contract and take less money to keep other players around.

“It means a lot. He wants to play again. He wants the same guys around him. That’s what it is going to take. He doesn’t care about the money. He wants to restructure his contract. I think that is pretty cool. It just goes to show he is more about the team than anything else.”

Gottlieb also asked Smith-Schuster about his infamous ill-timed “Browns is the Browns” comment before they blew out his Steelers in the playoffs and his series of pregame opponent logo dances that backfired.

On the logo front, Smith-Schuster once again reiterated that he had done them in stadiums before the Dallas Cowboys game, but that was the first one he decided to film. And he insists he was the one who went to coach Mike Tomlin to say he would stop when the story started to become out of control.

Two things about that.

1. The horse was out of the barn already because two teams (the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals) had taken notice of Smith-Schuster’s antics and called him out for doing so after they beat the Steelers.

2. I’m not sure that’s really how it went down between him and Tomlin. Color me skeptical that he went to Tomlin and not the other way around.

As far as his remark that the “Browns is the Browns” prior to the wild-card blowout loss to Cleveland, Smith-Schuster says his biggest regret is that the saying was turned into an Ohio billboard and he didn’t have the foresight to patent the phrase.

“I said what I said. I’m not gonna change it back. They’ve got a billboard now in Cleveland, just because of me. I should’ve trademarked it then — could’ve got some money off of it,” Smith-Schuster realized.

@TeamJuJu: "I said what I said. I'm not gonna change it back. They've got a billboard now in Cleveland just because of me. I should've trademarked it then...could've got some money off of it..."

Full Interview: https://t.co/iQo7OAYghO

w/@GottliebShow pic.twitter.com/aCApFIvDVJ

— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) February 1, 2021

Good job by Gottlieb refusing to let Smith-Schuster wiggle out of that explanation by trying to blame the media for misinterpreting it.

But … come … on! You’ve gotta laugh, right? The big thing that Smith-Schuster learned from that “Browns is the Browns” firestorm is that he “should’ve trademarked it” first!?

For JuJu, does it get any more “on brand” than that?

When Smith-Schuster is in New York, Chicago, Green Bay or Indianapolis next year, I’m not going to miss his narcissistic social media sideshow routines.

I will miss his 97 catches and nine touchdowns, though. And this column will definitely miss the free content.

Pass the Oikos. Make mine raspberry. This one’s for you, JuJu.

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