MARCH 17: While teams’ interest could reach the point of an offer the Broncos cannot refuse, the team does not want to move either Jeudy or Sutton. Denver prefers to move forward with both starters, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Optimism exists Payton will unlock some of the long-held potential of both Sutton and Jeudy, per Klis, who notes the team has hope Sutton — now more than two years removed from his September 2020 ACL tear — will return to his pre-injury form. Sutton is due a $14MM base salary in 2023.
MARCH 15: As they did before the 2022 trade deadline, the Broncos are receiving calls on Jerry Jeudy. The team has thus far shut down interest in the ascending wide receiver, but a price point has emerged that could convince the franchise to sell high.
The Broncos would want a first-round pick for the fourth-year receiver, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports (on Twitter). Jeudy can be controlled on his rookie contract through 2024, with his fifth-year option call due by May. That seems likely to be exercised — by the Broncos or another team — given Jeudy’s talent.
Denver resisted interest in Jeudy last year, and it made sense for the Broncos to regroup and prepare for the former first-round pick to be part of a better offense in 2023. But neither Sean Payton nor George Paton was in place when the Broncos drafted Jeudy. While the Alabama product profiles as Denver’s top receiver, the team does not have first- or second-round picks in this year’s draft — due to the Payton and Russell Wilson trades. Using Jeudy or Courtland Sutton would be a way for the franchise to add a pick or multiple selections in this year’s draft.
A recent report indicated teams have called the Broncos on Sutton and Jeudy, but the team has thus far passed on trade overtures toward the John Elway-era investments. Both players are on affordable contracts, with Sutton signed through 2025 on a $15MM-per-year accord he signed during the 2021 season. With the Bengals and Chargers taking Tee Higgins and Keenan Allen off the market, respectively, teams seeing if they can pry one of the Broncos’ starters away — in exchange for much-needed draft capital — makes sense.
Then again, the Broncos gave Wilson a $49MM-per-year extension before last season and are still banking on the former Seahawks star re-emerging from a shockingly mediocre 2022 season. Dealing away Jeudy, 23, would stand to hinder Wilson’s rebound effort. Sutton would seem to make more sense as a trade chip, though he would be unlikely to fetch as much. He is entering his age-28 season. But the team has a similar player in Tim Patrick, an outside receiver tied to a $10MM-per-year contract. Patrick has not come up in trade rumors, having missed last season with an ACL tear.
The Cowboys and Giants were among the teams to contact the Broncos on Jeudy before the deadline last year; Dallas made an offer. Both teams are still believed to be looking for receiver help. The Broncos have upped their asking price compared to last year, when a report pegged the team as seeking a second-round pick. Given this modest free agent receiver class and only veterans DeAndre Hopkins and Brandin Cooks viewed as available via trade, Denver is asking for more now. Following those trade rumors, Jeudy finished the 2022 season with a career-high 972 receiving yards to lead the Broncos. This did not move the needle much, however, as Denver’s Nathaniel Hackett-directed offense ranked last in scoring.
In New Orleans, Payton prioritized multiple receivers — Marques Colston, Michael Thomas — but reached agreements to trade two complementary talents (Cooks, Kenny Stills) as well. The Broncos, as the Saints are known to do, are investing heavily along their offensive line. The team reached agreements with Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers this week, and the team will likely consider a Quinn Meinerz extension next year. Considering Jeudy’s age, the Broncos will face a pivotal decision on the state of their receiving corps soon.
Butterfinger jeudy not worth a first round pick
He hasn’t even played up to his first round pick potential yet, and he has only 2 years of team control left. Dream on Broncos.
There’s no team in the NFL with a more overrated WR corps.
How could we even tell? They’ve never had good QB play.
Neither did D-hop for how many years and we knew he was great. I mean I get that they’ve had bottom feeder QB play, but Sutton is paid to be a 1, and he’s more like a mid range 2.
You’re talking about different echelons of “paid to be a 1.” Last year, Hopkins’ cap hit was $10 million more than Sutton’s. This year, Hopkins’ cap hit is $12 million more than Sutton’s. Heck, the Broncos’ top four receivers combined cap hit this year is less than $6 million more than Hopkins alone.
4 years 60.8 million is 100% paid to be a 1. Hopkins got paid more because he’s light years better, which circles back to them being an overrated WR room.
He’s 21st in practical guaranteed money for a current WR contract. 32nd in guaranteed at signing. Three different guys got twice that. Three different teams have two different receivers ahead of him. I’d say he’s paid reasonably correctly. I think with good QB play and reasonable health, Jeudy and Sutton would be a perfectly good one-two punch at receiver, even if neither is a top tier guy.
He’s being paid in the top 32 WR, therefore they see him as a WR1, and he produces as if he’s a WR2. The guys who got more are worth more, because they’re better… I don’t disagree they’re a decent 1-2 punch, but I don’t want them on my team. Especially at that $ amount for a guy who isn’t really a game changer and is frequently injured. They’re overrated. Asking for a 1st rounder for a frequently injured guy with a career catch % of 58%…. Not to mention Sutton is frequently injured as well and has a 56% catch %…. good for 162nd in the league
1) Catch rate is not a good way to judge a receiver. It can be lowered by inaccurate passes, being targeted deeper downfield, facing the other team’s best corners or double teams, or drawing pass interference. The leaders are mostly slot guys and gadget players. Davante Adams had a lower catch percentage than Sutton and Jeudy last year. I’m pretty sure he’s great.
2) Sutton’s practical guaranteed money is top 32, but no receiver on a rookie deal can have as much guaranteed as him. There are at least a dozen receivers on their rookie deals I would say are consensus better than him. That pushes him to number 2 status. His health has been a problem (even more so for Tim Patrick), but he’s a perfectly fine number two.
3) I certainly wouldn’t trade a #1 for Jeudy, but given the weak crop of receivers available, the plausible deniability with his terrible QBs, and Marquise Brown landing a first rounder last year, wouldn’t you at least float that price if you were Denver?
DEN is funny. They traded a 1st and 2nd round pick for a guy getting run out of SEA then want to recoop by asking for a 1st for the under performing receiver? Good luck with that!
A 3rd if their lucky
I’d trade him in a heartbeat for anything better than pick 20 in the first round. Makes me sick to think of paying this guy his next contract – he’s a diva already and spends more time on instagram promoting himself than being a leader on the team. I wish you could take Rod Smith’s heart/drive and plug it into Jerry.
I would like to see any evidence at all that Jeudy is a diva.
Why don’t you guys just slam the press release? The Broncos aren’t pushing Jeudy, teams are asking and for a reason. They’re trying not to let him go and I hope they don’t.
As a fan, I don’t want to lose him for any picks. The guy can ball and it started to show in the last two games once they fired Hackett. I hope they don’t trade him.
Don’t trade him, even for a first.
Why would the broncos trade a former 1st round pick? Doesn’t a struggling Wilson need all the play makers he can get??
No head coach can make that team of under-performers a playoff team. No chance. Keep rolling with the same players and the coach MIGHT make a difference of a game or two, but not enough to pretend the players had little to do with us. To roll into next year with the same key players in place would be insanity.
do NOT deal Jeudy!! …..of course they interested. BFD. he matured into what we drafted him for, WR1.