Getty Quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers (left) and Jordan Love (right) of the Green Bay Packers.
The Green Bay Packers may have just lucked out.
On the brink between buyers and sellers, it’s hard to imagine the Packers punting on the season after signing quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a massive extension and breaking the bank to stack the defense at every level.
Yet the cold, hard facts remain: the Packers have been disappointing on both sides of the ball and are facing the prospect of a 3-5 start with a primetime matchup against the Buffalo Bills looming next Sunday night. Ideal or not, the course for Green Bay is clear — the team must buy before the NFL’s trade deadline on November 1 and go all-in on salvaging this season before it’s lost for good.
Luckily for the Packers, things haven’t worked out for the Denver Broncos the way Green Bay’s old offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett had hoped when he accepted that head coaching job in the vaunted AFC West Division. Quarterback Russell Wilson has been bad all season. Now he’s injured, and the Broncos (2-5) are staring down the barrel of oblivion.
As such, Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy has unexpectedly found his way to the trade block, and the dynamic third-year wideout could be exactly what the Packers need to get back on track.
Jeudy Offers Packers Short-Term and Long-Term Solution at WR
GettyWide receiver Jerry Jeudy of the Denver Broncos walks off the field after a game against the New York Jets at Empower Field at Mile High on October 23, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
Adam Schefter of ESPN on Sunday, October 23, broke the news that Jeudy is available to interested suitors for the right price.
“Over the past week, the Broncos have received multiple trade inquiries about star defensive end Bradley Chubb and wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler, league sources told ESPN,” Schefter wrote. “Other teams have said the Broncos will not sell low in a deal and will be value traders — if they make any trades at all, according to sources. Although the Broncos would like to retain all those players, they would have to ponder any serious trade offer for multiple reasons.”
The price for Jeudy, the 15th overall selection in 2020, could fall in the range of a second- or third-round draft pick. While he has failed to this point to live up to his draft position, Jeudy offers an explosive element in the passing game that Green Bay is sorely missing after the departures of Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Jeudy has been unquestionably hampered by poor quarterback play throughout his NFL tenure, but has still managed 114 catches for 1,709 yards and five touchdowns through 33 games played. He also boasts a career average of 15 yards per reception, according to Pro Football Reference.
Beyond that, Jeudy is under contract for at least another year and a half on an affordable rookie deal, which pays him $4.8 million in 2023. If the Packers trade for Jeudy this season, they will also have the right to exercise a fifth-year option on his contract and secure the receiver’s services through the 2024 season.
Injuries Have Depleted Underperforming Packers’ Receiver Group
GettyWide receiver Allen Lazard is hurt for the second time in the 2022 regular season.
Even if the Packers had a full complement of wide receivers at their disposal, they’d still be in dire need of an upgrade. However, due to injuries, the position group is far from full strength.
Rodgers’ top option Allen Lazard suffered his second significant injury of the season last Sunday against the Washington Commanders, leaving the game in the second half after hurting his shoulder. Lazard did not return to action and was seen in the locker room Monday with his arm in a sling, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
The Packers designated Randall Cobb, their No. 2 wide receiver in terms of yardage production this year, to IR prior to last week’s game due to an ankle injury. He will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks, per NFL rules.
Rookie wideout Christian Watson is questionable with a lingering hamstring strain that has kept him out of action each of the previous two weeks. Fellow rookie Romeo Doubs remains healthy, though he produced his worst game of the season in Sunday’s loss, netting zero catches.