Getty Denver Broncos WRs Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy running on the field against the Chicago Bears.
The Cleveland Browns added another former first-round wide receiver for minimal draft capital by trading for Jerry Jeudy, and his ex-Denver Broncos teammates are already in their feelings about the loss.
Courtland Sutton, Jeudy’s fellow starter over the past four seasons and teammate in the receiver room, took to social media on Saturday, March 9 and expressed his feelings of melancholy by posting a GIF on social media.
The GIF was only five seconds long and included no sound. It showed famous actor Will Smith’s character in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air looking around his family’s empty living room just as they’ve finished moving out of the home in which the sitcom primarily took place. The strong implication was a feeling of sadness and emptiness upon Sutton realizing that Jeudy was off to Cleveland.
Jerry Jeudy Offers Browns High Upside, Reasonable Contract Price in 2023
GettyFormer Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
While the Broncos are cutting players and clearing cap space as part of a massive overhaul into rebuild mode, the Browns are headed in the opposite direction — doing everything they can to build out a win-now roster in the hopes of building off their trip to the postseason in 2023.
Jeudy is the latest piece of that puzzle, whom Cleveland was able to acquire for the price of a fifth and sixth-rounder in this April’s draft. Jeudy played out his initial four-year, $15.2 million rookie deal last season but is under contract for the 2024 campaign for the price of $13 million via a fifth-year team option.
The Browns have a degree of flexibility with regards to Jeudy’s long-term future and don’t necessarily need to extend him right away. If he doesn’t prove a viable No. 2 receiver alongside Amari Cooper, Cleveland can let him walk at the end of the season. Two Day-3 draft picks are more than nothing, but they represent a collective blow the Browns can absorb if Jeudy bombs out in 2024.
If he plays well, Jeudy will be in a position to test unrestricted free agency in March 2025. Cleveland will retain the option to use the franchise tag to keep him under contract, though Jeudy will likely need to produce a career year for the team to justify utilizing such a valuable tool to keep him.
The best option for the Browns is to evaluate Jeudy over the course of the summer and into the regular season. If the team reaches a point where they know they want Jeudy back, the move will likely be to lock him in on a multiyear deal before free agency becomes a concern.
Browns Believe Jerry Jeudy Will Fit in Well Alongside Amari Cooper, Deshaun Watson
GettyCleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper.
The Browns gave up a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round swap to land Cooper in a trade from the Dallas Cowboys in 2022, which is one of the most successful decisions that general manager Andrew Berry has made to this point in his tenure in the job.
Cooper has caught 150 passes for more than 2,400 yards and a total of 14 TDs over the past two seasons, leading the team in receiving both years and earning a Pro Bowl nod for his efforts in 2023. If Cleveland gets anything like that kind of payoff with Jeudy, the trade will be a success.
Jeudy produced a career year in 2022 with 67 catches for 972 yards and 6 TDs, per Pro Football Reference. His numbers dipped to 54 receptions for 758 yards and 2 TDs last season.
However, Zac Jackson of The Athletic wrote Saturday that the Browns believe they’ve found in Jeudy a good complement to Cooper’s skill set as well as to the talents and tendencies of the team’s starting quarterback.
“Jeudy turns 25 next month and is entering the final year of his rookie contract,” Jackson wrote. “Cleveland was looking both for a vertical threat on the outside and a player explosive enough to create big plays when [Deshaun] Watson leaves the pocket.”