Report: Former Broncos WR & Sean Payton Favorite Signs With Giants

The Denver Broncos had to say goodbye on Friday.

Nov 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey (84) runs the ball as Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook (6) defends during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos’ second-highest snap-earner at wide receiver is on the move. Taking the field a rather surprising 554 snaps last season, long-time Sean Payton wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey is signing with the New York Giants, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

"Giants are signing former Broncos WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey to a one-year deal, per source," Schefter posted on X.

Giants are signing former Broncos WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey to a one-year deal, per source. pic.twitter.com/bd39NHEhX0

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 21, 2025

An undrafted free agent out of the University of Texas in 2019, Humphrey was always a bit of a tweener, being a bit too small to play a classic tight end role at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds but not quite athletic enough to function as a key contributor as a wide receiver (running a first percentile 40-yard dash for a wide receiver in the NFL Combine at 4.75 seconds along with other poor testing metrics).

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All the same, Payton saw the vision with Humphrey and carved out a role for him on his offense with his tweener traits. As opposed to playing him in-line, Humphrey became a useful piece on offense, splitting time out wide and in the slot, with a majority of his snaps as a designated 'big slot.'

Given how much screen and quick game Payton likes to utilize, having a perimeter player as large and as capable of a blocker in space allowed the Broncos to carve out a role for a skill set many other teams did not quite understand or value. 

With Humphrey gone, the Broncos may be looking to replace his role on offense with an additional move tight end or a large wide receiver that can play the slot. Broncos’s signing and 'joker' tight end Evan Engram can surely take up some of the snaps vacated by Humphrey. That was very likely the plan with signing Engram.

The Broncos may look to add a big-bodied strong blocking option at receiver, such as the New York Jets’ Allen Lazard, who has been granted the right to search for a trade, so keep an eye out for a move during the draft. There are big slot options in the draft, such as TCU’s Jack Bech on Day 2 or Arkansas’s Isaac TeSlaa on Day 3.

Humphrey will not be lauded for his time in Denver by the fans, but he was a useful back-end-of-the-roster player with a very specific role that Payton valued. If the Broncos had hopes of him returning to the practice squad, they will now have to find other depth options to replace Humphrey this season.

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