The Denver Broncos officially confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that they’ve traded former first-round pick Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns, as previously reported over the weekend, coinciding with the beginning of the new NFL league year.
During his four-year tenure with Denver, Jeudy, a wide receiver, fell short of expectations, managing only 11 touchdowns across 57 games. In 2023, he scored merely two touchdowns, trailing behind other receivers like Brandon Johnson, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Adam Trautman.
In exchange for Jeudy, GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton secured two draft picks from the Browns, a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick, numbered 136th and 203rd overall, respectively.
Following the trade announcement on social media, Denver expressed gratitude to Jeudy for his time with the team. Jeudy’s departure marks the conclusion of a four-year period that began with his selection as the 15th overall pick in the 2020 draft. Despite a promising rookie season, marred by drops, his performance failed to significantly improve thereafter, with zero touchdowns in 2021 and six in 2022.
The trade will grant the Broncos approximately $12.987 million in cap space savings.
With Jeudy gone, the Broncos may look to Marvin Mims Jr. to step into a more prominent role on the roster, joining starting receivers Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick. Patrick recently agreed to a restructured contract, lowering his 2024 salary as he aims to return from injuries, including a ruptured Achilles and torn ACL.
As for Jeudy, his move to Cleveland offers him a fresh start. It remains to be seen whether he will repeat past incidents, such as confrontations with NFL Network analysts and peculiar locker room interviews, or if he will finally fulfill the potential envisioned by the Broncos four years ago.
