Jerry Jeudy Takes Shot at Broncos After Being Traded to Browns

Jerry Jeudy had a message of sorts for the Denver Broncos, if you read between the lines.

It would seem that Jerry Jeudy is happy to call the Cleveland Browns his new NFL team. After four years of failing to launch as a former top-15 pick, the Denver Broncos traded Jeudy earlier this week to the Browns in exchange for a pair of late-round draft picks. 

As he settles into Cleveland, Jeudy's first public remarks seemed to imply that he didn't feel wanted in Denver. 

"I heard that the Browns were interested in me even two years ago," Jeudy told Browns reporter Kelsey Russo. "To actually be here, it's a surreal moment. So, I feel like I'm at the right spot because they have been trying to get me for a long time, so I feel like I'm wanted here. As a player, you always want to be in a place that you feel welcomed and want to make it feel like home and want to be wanted. And so having that feeling is great."

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Jeudy referred to the rampant trade rumors surrounding his name, which dated back to early 2022. The Broncos had reportedly taken multiple calls about Jeudy, but were ultimately reluctant to move the wideout while the team was still in its win-now mode with Russell Wilson. 

However, as a result, the Broncos were unable to unload Jeudy when his value was at its highest, coming out of Year 3 (2022). After the club exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, inflating his salary to nearly $13 million for 2024, no team was willing to relinquish premium draft capital to acquire a diva receiver who'd failed to produce a 1,000-yard season. Not at that cost to the salary cap. 

The Jeudy trade to Cleveland was essentially a salary dump for the Broncos, and it just so happened to also net a fifth and sixth-round draft pick. The Broncos will move forward with (seemingly) Courtland Sutton as the WR1, with a bigger role awaiting for 2023 Pro Bowler Marvin Mims Jr., and a returning Tim Patrick. 

Jeudy wanted to feel the love in Denver. He may not have felt it from the frustrated ranks of Broncos Country, but the team proved how it felt about Jeudy in the only love language in the NFL: money. 

The hope was that Jeudy would finally turn the corner and become a consistent weapon for the Broncos in Year 4, after the team had picked up his option. That didn't happen, though it wasn't all his fault. 

The Wilson-led offense last year was painfully inconsistent and sputtery. Sean Payton had to simply his scheme and deploy a run-heavy attack in order to maximize Wilson's strengths and minimize his weaknesses. 

That wasn't conducive to Jeudy producing a breakout year, nor was catching passes from Wilson, who doesn't throw with anticipation. Jeudy is a phenomenal route runner and creates great separation that way, but without a quarterback who can throw into the future, so to speak, and with anticipation, the Broncos were unable to really get the most out of Jeudy.

Jeudy would have thrived with a Drew Brees or Peyton Manning. With Russell Wilson? No chance. 

Perhaps he'll finally begin touching that ceiling in Cleveland. But if the best predictor of the future is the past, odds are, he's doomed to be a one-and-done Browns receiver, and will be on the hunt for a new team in 2025. 

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