Ex-Alabama Star ‘Makes Sense’ to Now Join Bryce Young: Insider

Getty Bryce Young embraces Jerry Jeudy before Alabama's September 3, 2022 opener versus Utah State.

Past Alabama Crimson Tide All-American Bryce Young needs help in Charlotte.

A fellow former Tide star in Jerry Jeudy has made it obvious he needs a change in scenery from the Denver Broncos.

All the more reason why NFL insider Jeff Howe of The Athletic on Tuesday, October 17 believes that the quarterback and wide receiver, who could’ve been 2020 Tide teammates had Jeudy not entered the NFL Draft, now need to link up with the Carolina Panthers.

Does Jeudy Have the Trade Value Carolina is Seeking?

Here’s the trade proposal: Jeudy gets sent to Charlotte in exchange for a 2024 third round and sixth round selection.

“The Panthers need to get Bryce Young more help, especially at receiver,” Howe writes. “While the Broncos have rebuffed trade offers short of first-round picks in the past for Jeudy, time isn’t exactly on their side here, and Jeudy doesn’t have the trade value they’ve been seeking.”

How much is Jeudy’s worth? And is there a fifth-year option involved?

“He’s on the books for about $13 million for his fifth-year option in 2024, and the Broncos need to recalibrate the books while determining their future at quarterback,” Howe said.

Howe concludes how the Jeudy experiment needs to change with the Broncos.

“It just hasn’t worked out for Jeudy in Denver, whether it’s due to injuries, QB play or coaching, so he’d probably welcome a fresh start,” Howe said. “The Panthers would hope to reinvigorate a 24-year-old who was once billed as a no-doubt NFL star.”

How Bad Has it Gotten for the Former Tide Star Jeudy?

In Tuscaloosa, Jeudy was a threat for 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns the moment he stepped onto the field.

He left the Tide with back-to-back seasons of crossing the century mark and combined for 24 touchdowns in 2018 and 2019. He went on to become a first team All-American under Nick Saban. After three seasons, Jeudy opted to declare early for the NFL Draft.

Jeudy went on to get selected at No. 15 overall to the Broncos. He was even taken ahead of future Pro Bowlers named CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys (No. 17 overall) and Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings (No. 22) as well as a pair of future 1,000-yard wideouts named Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers (went 25th overall) and future AFC champion WR Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals (fell to 33rd overall).

Jeudy, however, is yet to deliver his first 1,000-yard campaign. He’s also yet to catch 70 passes in a single season or surpass six touchdowns in a 17-game schedule.

Jeudy has emerged as the hot subject of trade rumblings. His career in the Rockies have been marred by inconsistency and an inability to stay healthy. It also hasn’t helped him that he’s played for three different head coaches in four seasons. But his current head coach Sean Payton has been widely regarded as an offensive genius who once oversaw the record-breaking 149-catch season from Michael Thomas while with the New Orleans Saints.

This season, Jeudy hasn’t caught more than six passes in a single game. He’s produced three games of settling for just three catches; and that includes his three-reception, 14-yard evening versus the Kansas City Chiefs on October 12.

Jeudy has had his staunch critics too. Most recently before the Broncos’ loss to the Chiefs, Jeudy was given harsh critique from perennial Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Panthers Steve Smith Sr., who called him a “tier three” wide receiver and encouraged teams to not trade for him.

But if the Broncos were to complete the trade to send Jeudy to Carolina, it finally gives Jeudy a chance to form the tandem some Tide fans hoped to see when Young arrived to the campus as a prized 2020 signing, which also would’ve been the senior season of Jeudy.