The Cleveland Browns agreed to a trade for Denver Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy on Saturday and Deshaun Watson couldn’t be happier.
The Browns sent fifth and sixth-round picks to the Broncos for Jeudy, who was the No. 15 overall pick out of Alabama in 2020. The trade cannot officially be completed until the new league year begins Wednesday.
It gives the Browns another solid option alongside Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore and others. Watson responded to the trade on social media with a series of emojis — including a fire and a star. He also reposted a video of Jeudy’s bow-shooting celebration with a target emoji.
Adding another wide receiver was a priority for the Browns this offseason. Watson had petitioned for the signing of Tee Higgins in a free agency. However, Higgins was franchise tagged by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Watson did make his feelings known that he wanted all the help he could get when it came to new pass-catchers.
“Of course I want Tee. S**t, I want all the top receivers,” Watson said on the February 2 edition of his “QB Unplugged” show. “But at the end of the day, I’m just throwing a little nugget out there. Who knows what’s going to happen? I don’t control that or free agency, who we bring in.”
Higgins didn’t work out for the Browns but Watson was confident general manager Andrew Berry would be able to pull off something.
“All this is all planned. If you really listen to Andrew Berry, he’s telling you the gameplan, the blueprint,” Watson said, referring to the Browns’ cap situation. “We’re straight, we know exactly what we’re doing for the next five years.”
Browns Have Been Eyeing Jerry Jeudy
The Browns have been rumored as a suitor for Jeudy for quite some time. But the time and price were right this time around. The Broncos are restructuring their offense after cutting ties with quarterback Russell Wilson and a pair of late-round picks for a potential No. 2 receiver is a solid deal. It’s similar to what the Browns did with Cooper a few years ago in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys, on a slightly smaller scale.
The Browns take on Jeudy’s $12.987 million contract for 2024. They’ll likely convert some of that to a bonus and lower his cap hit, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Cleveland will also have to consider an extension for Jeudy. He’s set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
Jeduy has never broken the 1,000-yard mark but has been close a few times. Over four seasons he has collected 211 catches for 3,053 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Amari Cooper Coming Off Pro Bowl Season With Browns
Jeudy is in many ways the perfect complement for Cooper, who carried the Browns’ offense last season despite catching passes from four different quarterbacks. He racked up 1,250 yards on 72 catches.
Cooper’s standout performance came on Christmas Eve against the Houston Texans. He caught 11 passes for 265 yards — a franchise single-game record.
“Records are meant to be broken. At the end of the day, it’s just numbers. I don’t take it for granted, but it’s the past,” Cooper said on January 10. “I always tell myself, you know, I want to look back on my career in that nostalgic type of way that I think you’re alluding to after I’m done playing.”
The Browns also have young wide receivers David Bell and Cedric Tillman in the mix. Both were recent third-round picks. Tight end David Njoku will also be a big piece in the passing game. He was named to his first Pro Bowl last season, notching 81 catches for 882 yards and 6 touchdowns.
