The Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns have agreed to terms for a trade involving wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. As the Broncos send the 2020 first-round pick, Cleveland will give their 2024 fifth and sixth-round picks in return.
Both teams can finalize the transaction at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on March 13, the first day of the 2024 NFL league calendar.
The former Alabama standout shared his excitement by tweeting, “Only Dawgs Allowed.”
Conversely, his parting message for the Broncos reads, “Thank you, Denver, for everything.” His March 9 tweet includes a 90-second video featuring his journey from the draft and some in-game highlights.
The clips include NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announcing him as the second wide receiver taken in the draft and him carrying the United States flag onto the field.
Thank you, Denver, for everything. 🤞🏾
In four seasons with the Broncos, Jeudy had 211 receptions for 3,053 yards and 11 touchdowns. During the 2022 season, he had career highs in catches (67), receiving yards (972), and touchdowns (6).
However, his production took a hit in 2023, finishing with 54 catches with 758 yards and two touchdowns. Pro Football Reference indicates that his 62.1 percent catch rate in 2023 is the lowest since his rookie season.
His Pro Football Focus overall grade decreased from 78.4 in 2022 to 67.8 last season, his second-lowest mark in four NFL seasons.
Broncos Received ‘D-‘ Grade for Jerry Jeudy Trade
GettyJerry Jeudy played four seasons for the Denver Broncos.
CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin gave the Broncos a below-passing mark in his March 10 article. After giving Denver a D-, he said, “Denver has reportedly been dangling Jeudy in trade talks for multiple years and comes away with only a pair of late Day 3 picks? Yikes.”
Dubin is lamenting about the haul Denver received in return because they got a better offer for Jeudy before the 2023 trade deadline.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter shared regarding Jeudy during his November 3, 2023, interview with Mark Schlereth on 104.3 The Fan, “I believe they got offered a three and five.”
Adam Schefter finally gives us the details on what happened ahead of the trade deadline.
Dubin continued, “The only reason this isn’t an “F“ is because the Broncos do need to clear a bunch of cap room, and if the first four years of his career were any indication, Jeudy probably wasn’t going to produce at the level of his 2024 salary, so trading him is a decent way to accomplish that.”
Dealing Jeudy to the Browns helped the Broncos go $28,870,445 under the $255.4 million salary cap for 2024, per Over The Cap.
Meanwhile, Dubin justified the “B+” for the Browns by stating, “This is a good low-cost flier for the Browns. They did not give up much in the way of draft capital for Jeudy, who is a talented but nonetheless frustrating player. Still, trying to see if they can tap into something that the Broncos didn’t is an idea that has a lot of merit.”
Jerry Jeudy will join the Browns’ receiving unit with Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and tight end David Njoku. Cooper and Moore’s current contracts expire after the 2024 season, per Spotrac.
Marvin Mims Jr. Takes Over Role Vacated by Jeudy
GettyDenver Broncos wide receiver/return specialist Marvin Mims Jr.
As Jerry Jeudy ends his tenure in the Mile High City, the door is open for second-year player Marvin Mims Jr. to impact the offense significantly.
Sports Illustrated’s Keith Cummings wrote in a March 11 article, “In time, the opportunity afforded to the second-year Marvin Mims Jr. might end up being the most important consequence of Jeudy’s departure.”
As Mile High Report’s Scotty Payne wrote, Broncos head coach Sean Payton praised the All-Pro specialist in a February 27 press conference before the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. “I really think the only thing that really stopped his progress as a receiver was us… Man, I think you’re going to see a lot of growth with this player. He’s tough. He can run. We’re certainly excited we have him.”
Sean Payton had MASSIVE praise for Marvin Mims Jr.
“I really think the only thing that really stopped his progress as a receiver was us… Man, I think you’re going to see a lot of growth with this player. He’s tough. He can run. We’re certainly excited we have him.”
According to Pro Football Reference, Mims had 22 receptions for 377 yards and a touchdown last season despite playing only 38 percent of the offensive snaps.
However, the former Oklahoma standout made an impact on special teams. He had 19 punt returns for 312 yards and 15 kick returns for 397 yards and a touchdown.
NFL Network’s James Palmer seconded what Payton said about Mims before the Combine. The insider shared with Andrew Siciliano during their March 11 trade discussion, “Marvin Mims, who Sean Payton took in his first draft this past offseason in the second round, was a Pro Bowl returner…They kept trying to find ways to get him on the field within this offense. The problem? He essentially played the exact same role as Jerry Jeudy.”
With Jeudy gone, Mims is a projected starting wide receiver alongside Tim Patrick and Courtland Sutton.
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Jerry Jeudy Tweets Five-Word Message After Trade to Browns