Jerry Jeudy trade: 3x Super Bowl champion bids WR 'bust' good riddance, slams ex-Bronco as "not a great football player"
A Jerry Jeudy trade has seemingly been in the pipeline for what seems like years on end now. On Saturday, March 9, the Denver Broncos finally brought that saga, if you will, to a close.
The Broncos shipped Jeudy off to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-rounder. The deal will officially be in the books when the new league year begins on Wednesday, March 13.
One person who's pretty happy to see the Jerry Jeudy trade go through is Broncos legend Mark Schlereth.
Jerry Jeudy trade: Broncos icon unleashes epic rant against WR
In a scathing rant on X, the ex-Broncos guard stated:
“I’ve been telling you for the last two years what a bust Jerry Jeudy is at the WR position. Well, today he was traded to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth and sixth-round pick. I got this from you guys all the time ‘But he’s so quick in and out of breaks, he’s a great route runner.’ Yeah he’s open after the quarterback has already gone through the progression."
The NFL on Fox broadcaster didn't stop there. He also said:
"As far as a football player, he’s just not a great football player. Doesn’t run secondary routes well to attract coverage. Drops the football. Doesn’t block. Good riddance. That’s not the kind of player you need in Denver to rebuild this thing.”
Jerry Jeudy trade winners and losers: Did Browns get a WR on the cheap?
It's difficult to see this as anything but a win for the Browns.
Jeudy was picked 15th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft that included WR stars like CeeDee Lamb (17th overall to the Cowboys), Justin Jefferson (22nd overall to the Vikings) and Brandon Aiyuk (25th overall to the Niners). Jeudy was the second wide receiver off the board after the Raiders' 12th overall selection of Henry Ruggs.
All in all, Jeudy's tenure in Denver was marked by injuries and underwhelming spells compounded by uncertainty at the quarterback position that was expected to be solved by the introduction of Russell Wilson, another gambit that failed to pay dividends for the Broncos.
The Browns gave up two late-round picks for Jeudy, which represents a pretty low price for a WR who is expected to be the No. 2 receiving option behind Amari Cooper. The only sticking point in this trade is that Jeudy is guaranteed $13 million for 2024. Even so, the Browns come up winners by a slim margin in this move.
The Broncos, on the other hand, just had to bite the bullet. The franchise seemingly dangled Jeudy as trade bait for a couple of years. All they have to show for that bait is a couple of late-round picks. They essentially gave Jeudy up for nothing but a little bit of breathing space in the cap room section.