Jerry Jeudy is heading to Cleveland. The Browns and Broncos have agreed to a deal for the wide receiver, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Denver will receive 2024 fifth- and sixth-round picks from Cleveland, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The deal will become official on Wednesday.
Jeudy has seemingly been involved in trade talks for more than a year, and we heard that the Broncos were actively fielding offers for the receiver prior to the trade deadline. Schefter notes that the Browns were among the teams that made a run at Jeudy last season, with NFL Network’s James Palmer noting that Cleveland’s front office previously thought the price was too high. The Broncos apparently reduced their demands, leading to today’s agreement.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the front office recently indicated that they were “warming up” to trading Jeudy (and, at the same time, presumably dropping their asking price). According to Fowler, the Jets and Patriots were among the teams that also expressed interest in the receiver before he was dealt to the Browns.
The former first-round pick never developed into a top-end receiver during his time in Denver, although that was partly due to inconsistent play from the quarterback position. Jeudy followed up a solid rookie season with a disappointing sophomore campaign, but he seemed to bounce back in 2022. Jeudy finished that season with 67 catches for 972 yards and six touchdowns, leading to the Broncos picking up his fifth-year option.
However, after emerging as a trade candidate in 2022, the talks picked up steam in 2023. Jeudy was constantly mentioned alongside teammate Courtland Sutton in trade rumors, but the Broncos ultimately decided to hang on to both of their top receivers. Jeudy wasn’t able to follow up on his promising 2022 campaign, as the wideout finished 2023 with 54 catches for 758 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games (11 starts). He finished the season ranked 62nd on Pro Football Focus’ ranking of 128 qualifying wideouts.
With the Broncos moving on from Russell Wilson, the organization will be featuring a new-look offense in 2024. That divorce probably contributed to the organization’s decision to finally rip off the Jeudy band aid, but there were also financial reasons to move on from the former first-round wideout. The cash-strapped Broncos will clear around $13MM with the trade, as Jeudy’s fifth-year option was fully guaranteed.
Focus will now shift to Sutton, who will likely continue to be on the trade block. Marvin Mims will also be eyeing a larger role heading into 2024. As Palmer notes, Sean Payton has made it clear that he wants the 2023 second-round pick on the field, but the coach believed the wideout was being blocked on the depth chart by Jeudy. This trade should clear Mims up for a significant role next season.
Jeudy will now look to rehabilitate his value in Cleveland before hitting free agency next offseason. With the Browns having made a massive commitment to Deshaun Watson, Cleveland’s front office has done everything in their power to surround the QB with intriguing targets.
The team first traded a fifth-round pick to have Amari Cooper lead their depth chart, and they later swapped a second-round pick for a third-round pick in order to acquire Elijah Moore. The organization has once again looked to add a target without giving up significant draft capital, although their offensive hopes will still depend on Watson’s ability to return to his previous form.
My god what an awful turn of events for Denver.
Could have gotten possibly a 1st or 2nd if they did this a year earlier and they’re stuck with 5th and 6th rounders
“Could have gotten possibly a 1st or 2nd”
If they could have, they would have. They’ve been trying to trade him for over a year. No one offered enough for them to consider it. Could they have gotten a 3rd? Maybe. But no one was offering a 1st or 2nd for Jerry Jeudy.
The Steelers received a 2nd for Claypool with the Packers and Bears each offering a 2nd. Denver was holding out for a 1st rounder and it blew up in their faces.
Teams offered as high as a second for sure. They were the ones holding out for a first rounder.
link to profootballrumors.com
Literally from this site. The Browns were willing to give up a second rounder last year but the Broncos wanted another player in addition. They didn’t trade him at all because they wanted a first.
Bravo! Well played!
@Michael Chaney: that’s purely an unconfirmed rumor and it is from Mary Kay Cabot lmao. I’m not taking that seriously. Feel free to but I’m not. Further, if it was true, you’d think the Broncos would get better than a 5th and 6th from the exact same team you’re saying offered a 2nd.
You missed the part right above in that article where two Broncos reporters confirmed that they only wanted a first. And you can like Mary Kay or not, but she’s usually accurate.
It’s okay to just admit that you’re wrong lol
lmao, if you think Mary Kay Cabot is usually accurate, we’re done here. She’s wrong all the time and is a Browns PR mouthpiece.
And the Broncos reporters only “confirmed” the “asking price”. They did not in any way confirm Cabot’s ridiculous assertion that the Browns offered a 2nd. No one confirmed that. Reading comprehension is important.
I’ll circle back to my original point: if anyone had offered a 1st or a 2nd, the Broncos would have taken it. As evidence, I’ll point you to this very trade, where they traded Jeudy for essentially nothing.
Broncos were offered the equivalent of a mid to late 2nd rounder in the form of a 3rd and 5th round picks using draft value charts.
So to say if anyone offered a 2nd Broncos would have taken it isn’t fact considering they had a few offers like that (picks whose value equated to a 2nd rounder).
I highly doubt the broncos turned down equivalent offers just wanting a 2nd instead of say a 3rd 4th, 3rd 5th, 2 3rds.
Turning down equivalent offers means they were seeking something higher.
They were asking for a 1st but a 2nd rounder was a strong possibility.
They rebuffed offers of 3rd and 5th.
Im sure there was an end of 2nd round offer or 2nd rounder with pick swap involved on the table say 2nd rounder for Jeudy and a 4th or something.
And as Michael kindly pointed out browns were willing to trade a 2nd for him and doubt they were the only ones.
They could’ve gotten more last season because he would’ve had a longer time window to show what he can do with his new team. Now he’s only got a year left on his contract, he’s coming off a down year, and he costs more against the salary cap. Even an already proven first rounder usually only produces a third round pick when you trade them a year before they become a free agent.
Wonder who is going to get the blame for that a year from now after their upcoming 5-12 season.
Anyone but Sean.
Spot on lol
You nailed it arty!
Plus, losing some key veterans and lockerroom leaders like Simmons and DJ Jones certainly won’t help matters at all either.
You would think they would have learned their lesson with Russ. Again, they’ve let a new sheriff into town, instantly discrediting their roster, their lockerroom, and immediately trying to take over and answering to no one.
Payton likely has another two years to turn things around, but until then, everyone else will be to blame for their failures.
This roster would not win 5 games.
Denver or Cleveland?
The Browns are looking to improve a playoff team with what available resources they have. The Broncos dumped their most viable option at quarterback to save money in 2025. In order to do that, they’re dumping other players as well. The blame for this belongs mostly on the previous Denver regime, but also the present one as well. Not seeing the joke about a Cleveland team making an earnest attempt to best maximize their investment in Deshaun Watson. But enjoy thinking the Browns are still the same team that struggled for so long. The real joke is on you.
The joke is that massive cap hit you keep trying to claim is a quality QB. He hasn’t shown up, yet…
I made no such claim. In fact, I didn’t comment about Watson except to say that the Browns are making an attempt to maximize their investment in Watson, hardly a controversial suggestion. For some reason, you seem intent on being negative toward the Browns management and now, their quarterback. Taking enjoyment in being negative toward others is a quality that should cause concern for yourself.
And they wanted a first round pick for him last year lol
Yikes. Pittance of a return for Denver. Another worthwhile buy-low for Cleveland on a frustrating young receiver. I’m unimpressed by Jeudy, but he doesn’t turn 25 until next month and has been in some lousy situations, and this is chump change.
The 9’ers got better value out of their comp picks!
A downpayment on their Wilson divorce…
Seems like Payton is purging people who aren’t his guys and possibly tanking for a year while they eat some cap vegetables.
The next couple of years are looking pretty dismal in Denver but if they play their cards right they can turn it around pretty quick once the get out of salary cap hell. They gotta figure out a way to keep Surtain long term though.
Getting a quality QB is never easy and they’re back to square one
I’m pumped about this. I definitely don’t expect Jeudy to be what the Broncos thought they were drafting but he’s still a really solid receiver and this is pretty much chump change. If he can be a solid number 2 with the upside to be a little more, I’m all for it.
This also saves them from having to make a move for a big name receiver in free agency.
He’s better than he’s gotten credit for. I thought that a team with a better established offense and coaching staff could have used Jeudy much better. Can Cleveland be that team? We’ll see, but the QB situation in Denver, plus the years of bad offensive coaching prior to Payton really affected Jeudy throughout his career.
My bet is that Jeudy will exceed the value of those two picks. The Patrick news from yesterday pretty ensured that this would be what happened, in my mind.
I definitely think he’ll exceed the value of the picks at a minimum, even if for no other reason than it being his walk year. I’m going into it under the assumption that he’s a rental, but if they extend him he’d probably just replace Cooper in their books.
It’s probably unrealistic to expect him to be a 1 anymore, but I agree that he’s better than he gets credit for and expecting a really good number 2 is pretty reasonable. He adds some depth to their receiving corps too, and a group of Cooper/Jeudy/Moore with Njoku as the tight end is pretty solid. I don’t know what they expect from Tillman or Bell but they’re probably best served as supplementary pieces anyway.
I agree with all your points but hope you’re wrong and they keep Cooper in a year. He’s been a valuable option for any of the many quarterbacks that have played for the Browns since he got to Cleveland. Also I’m hoping Tillman becomes a more productive and utilized option this season.
I hope they keep Cooper too but I just know it’s unrealistic to be paying two receivers high end money at the same time, so the only way Cooper probably stays long term is if they choose not to keep Jeudy. I think Tillman has upside but I get why they wanted more certainty for now.
Unfortunately, you’re probably right. One of these days, their bill will come due. That won’t be pretty.
Man, if Cleveland can retain Flacco…
I honestly wonder if they’d deal Watson and resign Flacco. I know Atlanta would be in the hunt if Watson became available. Flacco just seemed to have the offense playing better as a whole.
The benefit of moving Watson would be what? They would still have massive cap hits from the move.
Watson is the most untradeable contract now
Impossible to trade Watson.
Not with the salary and cap hit. Cleveland is stuck with that deal.
Den is taking a similar hit on Russ.
Cleveland is stuck with a one year commitment at roughly the same cap hit as Allen Lazard. It’s not that big a deal.
It’s not that I believe Flacco takes them Super Bowl, it’s just that I know Watson doesn’t. Absolute waste of resources.
Cleveland is stuck with him the next three years
Sorry, brain fart. I was thinking of Jeudy’s contract, not Watson’s. Watson’s contract is the biggest albatross in football. Total, immovable disaster.
He’s not worth the contract he’s gonna demand from the Browns as he transitions from his rookie deal.
There’s always the transition tag. Cleveland only has to match the best offer.
Agreed on the tag discussion. He’s not in “diva” territory, but using the tag can get messy – not as easy as it sounds. WRs have been getting PAID lately. Will be interesting to watch it play out. Sutton gonna get cut soon imo.
Maybe not but they have a year to find out for sure. They should at least get the best out of him this year since it’s a contract year.
If they extend him he’d probably just take Cooper’s place on the cap sheet.
Thank you Cleveland
Seems like just yesterday the price was a first.
They probably could have got more if he was moved at the deadline.
Judy sucks. Payton and Paton were dumb not to take the alleged second rounder teams were offering a year ago.
In a better offense like Cleveland’s Juedy should be a better receiver as he’s likely starting the season as the # 2 WR behind Cooper. Denver just never seemed to be in sync with him or at least it felt that way when we was on my FF team on 22
This guy actually said it wasn’t his fault when people pointed out that he ran lazy routes. I’m going to go out on a limb and say being traded to a team with a QB not living up to the hype isn’t going to fix it.
You make some fair points. It’s not likely to happen, but perhaps the influence of fellow Alabama receiver Cooper will inspire Jeudy to work harder. Not betting on that, though, as motivation should come from within.
Jets needed him – and cost wasn’t bad at all. whiff-ing on complimentary WR seems to be a common theme
Terrible trade for Denver. Jeudy gets opens and creates big plays with his legs.
That’s the cost of the Wilson trade/cut fiasco. Sacrificing him for the cap.
Yes I’m sure going to miss watching him take the wrong route to the ball. Or just drop wide open touchdowns
That sucks, angelbroncosfan, I’m sure the Browns are excited to see him take the right route and catch touchdowns with the right QB and the better gameplanning though.
Feels weird saying this but it’ll be interesting to see what he can do on a non-dysfunctional team.
He’s going to the Browns, so no real difference other than the coach is sane and the owner is nuts.
I think Jimmy Haslam has slowly learned his best move is to let Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski run the show, with the admitted notable recent exception of trading for Watson. To use the term “dysfunctional” about the Browns no longer seems appropriate.
They guaranteed an enormous amount of money and gave up the farm in draft picks for a deviant QB who was easily outplayed by a guy who had been sitting on his couch weeks earlier. That’s still dysfunctional.
Just shows how desperate teams that can’t draft a franchise QB are to get one. Guys like Watson never hit free agency in their prime and the Browns felt they were a QB away from a championship, so yea it’s incredibly desperate of them but it makes sense. The results haven’t been great but it’s still way less dysfunctional than the Broncos giving away the farm for a clearly declining Wilson especially when their roster wasn’t close to competing. Browns are a way less dysfunctional team than the Broncos.
Outplayed how? Watson had more wins. Less loses. Less interceptions. Flacco had more yards and TD’S. Flacco threw an average of 11 times more per game than Watson so the yards should be more
I don’t think you understand what “dysfunctional” means
They could have gotten more a year ago but this basically confirms broncos are taking an early WR. Anyone from Brendan rice to Adonai Mitchell mid to early 2nd
Denver has so many needs, I think they should let the board come to them and draft the best player available. That very well could be a WR, it’s a deep class. They are probably too early into the rebuild to target specific positions in specific rounds.
Still nausea
Oh boy, this is the extra weapon the Browns are adding , what a joke….. non difference maker, I wouldn’t of wasted a sixth rounder on him, would’ve just drafted someone with that pick better
How the mighty have fallen, next will be Mac Jones for a 7th rounder and a case of Mac N Cheese.
I’m waiting for the “Zach for Mac” swap of the century lol
Didn’t notice Autocorrect messed up my post.
He’s still BASURA!
Steven Smith pegged him 100%
Bro cos have a pretty talented group of solid young LBs, Surtain, a few solid guys like Zach Allen, and some talented players on their defense, but their offense really needs a ton of help if they’re to keep from getting worse next season.
Jeudy wasn’t going to move the needle much for Denver and he probably won’t have a great impact in Cleveland either. The Broncos might not have got the return they originally wanted but now they have a roster spot that they can fill with someone with potentially more upside…. so we’ll have to see how this plays out.
Oh those valuable roster spots for guys who potentially could have some upside. That’s a great way to build championships
For most GMs the draft will be a hit and miss affair. It may take longer to build a championship team making a few positional upgrades each year but it’s a sensible approach, especially for teams that have limited cap space.