Trade rumors have surrounded Jerry Jeudy dating back to last season’s struggles with the Denver Broncos. Those talks started circulating again this past offseason, with the Broncos holding a limited amount of draft capital, seeking a chance to add more depth to the roster.
As we know now, a Jeudy trade never happened, but that doesn’t mean negotiations haven’t picked up since.
The NFL trade deadline is coming up quickly, with all agreements needing to be in place by Oct. 31. While there may be a lot of uncertainty now, teams will have a much stronger understanding of whether they’re contenders or pretenders over the next few weeks. Depending on how they perform over the next three games, we could see some teams conduct fire sales while other competitors make a playoff push.
Meanwhile, the Broncos are already firmly in the seller pile, having already shipped out Randy Gregory, with Frank Clark surely to be next.
But what about Jeudy? The Broncos’ offense has vastly improved this season, going from the worst-ranked scoring attack to one that ranks 10th heading into Week 6. Yet, he also hasn’t quite lived up to expectations as a former first-round pick. While Jeudy is a productive receiver, the Broncos likely aren’t excited about paying him the $12.9 million owed to him next season, which will be the final year of his rookie contract, setting the receiver up for free agency.
In turn, the Broncos may see better value in trading Jeudy to the highest bidder now in an attempt to rebuild the team’s core, hopefully into a unit that can bounce back and compete in the AFC West next year.
NFL insider Matt Lombardo relays what multiple league sources have told him, that the Broncos are expected to trade Jeudy before the Oct. trade deadline passes. In fact, one ‘high-ranking’ NFC personnel director says his team has already “held internal discussions” about trading for the Broncos receiver.
While several teams could benefit from adding more star talent at the receiver position, there are a few franchises that stand out as strong trade fits for Jeudy. Here are just a few.
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Best Jerry Jeudy trade destinations
Buffalo Bills could get Josh Allen more ammo
The Bills have long been searching for another weapon to add to Stefon Diggs. While Gabriel Davis is a strong complementary option who can win 50-50 battles downfield, there’s a reason the Bills still spent a first-round selection on tight end Dalton Kincaid. They still want to provide Josh Allen with more firepower so he doesn’t have to rely on moving the chains with his legs so often.
One potential solution is to trade for Jeudy, which likely wouldn’t take any more than a Day 2 pick. The Bills hold all their own picks in the first five rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, which should give them plenty of draft capital to spend, if they wish.
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San Francisco 49ers add to embarrassment of riches
It’s true. The 49ers don’t need to add Jeudy to an already impressive core of skill position players. Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk is a much better quartet than most teams have, but the talent level drops off quickly afterward.
Should any injury occur to either of the 49ers’ wide receivers, can they really trust Jauan Jennings to maintain the same level of performance? It’s a risky move, yet adding another target like Jeudy could not only get ahead of any potential injury issues it could also open up an already explosive offense even more.
Carolina Panthers get Bryce Young more help
It’s no secret that the Panthers aren’t pleased with the performance of their offense after five winless games. In addition to Frank Reich already feeling the heat, the team is working overtime trying to identify a potential No. 1 wideout for Bryce Young to grow with. Adam Thielen’s been better than anyone anticipated, but the 33-year-old won’t be effective forever.
Jeudy may not be the player who can take over a game, he rarely did in Denver, but perhaps a change of scenery could serve the former Alabama star well. He’d have a chance to establish himself as the top pass-catcher in town, and in the worst-case scenario, he would move on as a free agent after the 2024 season.
Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants flirt with a trade
Another potential option includes joining a team such as the Cowboys, Eagles, or even Giants. The Cowboys are always looking for more upper-echelon talent, and adding a younger solution next to CeeDee Lamb has to be somewhat appealing. In Philadelphia, you have two leading receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but little depth behind them. Adding Jeudy could finally put an end to the Eagles’ constant search to bolster their receiving corps while giving Jalen Hurts another weapon to toy with.
Meanwhile, we have a completely different situation in New York, where the Giants have fallen flat offensively. But not having a reliable receiver is partially to blame. Each of their top targets has a catch rate below 70 percent through five weeks. Yet, Jeudy’s 70.8 rate would instantly be the best among Giants with 20 or more targets this season. Does that mean he’d be the ultimate solution to fixing the second-worst scoring offense in the NFL? Probably not, but he’d provide another NFL-caliber receiver for Daniel Jones to work with.
Related: Denver Broncos, Frank Clark agree to pay cut; Is a trade next?