Browns Digest

Cleveland Browns Have Jets Owner To Thank For Jerry Jeudy

According to a report from The Athletic, the New York Jers nearly pulled off a trade for Cleveland Browns star Jerry Jeudy, before owner Woody Johnson nixed the deal for a wild reason

Spencer German

Dec 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) reacts following his touchdown reception in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
Dec 2, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) reacts following his touchdown reception in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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One team's trash, is another team's treasure.

That's a fair way to describe how Jerry Jeudy wound up with the Cleveland Browns, instead of the New York Jets.

According to a new piece from The Athletic the Jets were on the brink of landing the 2020 first-round pick from the Denver Broncos this past offseason before the move was nixed by team owner Woody Johnson. His reasoning, according to the story, was because Jeudy's Madden NFL rating was too low. At least that's the reasoning then GM Joe Douglas gave the Denver Broncos.

The story is making the rounds on social media, with NFL fans around the country making fun of Johnson for allowing Madden ratings to dictate a personnel decision. Even Jeudy himself got in on the conversation, blaming retired Bengals wideout Chad Ochocinco for his ratings being too low earlier this year. Ochocinco has become a Madden Ratings adjuster in his post playing life.

Making things look worse for Johnson is the fact that Jeudy has gone on to have the best season of his career this year in Cleveland. In 13 games, he's caught a career-high 70 passes for 1,052 yards and four touchdowns. It's the first time in his career that he's surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for his career.

Back in March, the Browns traded 2024 fifth and sixth-round picks to the Denver broncos to acquire Jeudy. Shortly after his arrival in Cleveland, the team also handed him a three-year, $58 million extension. The move wasn't without controversy as some pundits and fans believed the Browns were foolish to pay a first-round wideout who hasn't quite lived up to the hype, before he'd even played a snap for his new team. After a terrific 2024 campaign, it's obvious that the foresight from vice president of football operations Andrew Berry had was right.

It's also safe to say the Browns are grateful that Johnson found a reason not to sign off of a trade for Jeudy.

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Spencer German
SPENCER GERMAN

Spencer German is a contributor to the Northeast Ohio cluster of sites, including Cavs Insider, Cleveland Baseball Insider and most notably Browns Digest. He also works as a fill-in host on Cleveland Sports Radio, 92.3 The Fan, one of the Browns radio affiliate stations in Cleveland. Despite being a Cleveland transplant, Spencer has enjoyed making Northeast Ohio home ever since he attended college locally at John Carroll University, where he graduated in 2013.

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