Current:Home > InvestBroncos are sending receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Browns for two draft picks, AP sources say -InfinityFinance
Broncos are sending receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Browns for two draft picks, AP sources say
View
Date:2025-04-17 18:36:38
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos have agreed to send wide receiver and former first-round pick Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns for a pair of 2024 draft picks, two people with knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The people, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the impending deal wasn’t immediately announced by either team, said the Broncos would receive fifth- and sixth-round picks in next month’s NFL draft when the trade becomes official next week.
The Browns are getting a complement for No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper and another major target and deep threat for quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The Broncos will save $13 million in both cash and salary cap space by moving on from Jeudy. The first of the two draft picks they’re receiving is the first pick of the fifth round. That gives Denver eight selections in the April draft.
The Broncos have cleared nearly $50 million in cap space in the last few days after informing quarterback Russell Wilson they would release him when the new league year begins next week.
Potential landing spots for Wilson include the Steelers and Giants. His next team would have to pay him only the veteran’s minimum of $1.2 million because the Broncos are on the hook for the remainder of his $39 million salary in 2024.
The Broncos released All-Pro safety Justin Simmons on Thursday and renegotiated wide receiver Tim Patrick’s contract.
The Broncos used the 15th overall pick in 2020 to draft Jeudy, the highest they ever selected a wide receiver. He never lived up to that billing, in large part because Denver continued to churn through middling quarterbacks.
Jeudy often showed his frustration on the field, especially last season when he caught just two touchdown passes after a strong 2022 campaign in which he set career highs with 972 receiving yards and six TD receptions.
Jeudy has 11 career touchdown catches in four seasons. He is entering the final year of his contract after the Broncos exercised their fifth-year option on him.
The Browns were linked to Jeudy last year but were unable to finalize a deal with the Broncos at the trade deadline.
Cleveland figured to explore adding a top-tier wideout in free agency but was able to acquire a proven one in Jeudy, who like Cooper played at Alabama.
Jeudy’s speed is expected to be an asset for Watson, who likes to throw deep and showed signs of being an elite QB again before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in 2023.
The Browns traded for Elijah Moore last offseason, and he didn’t really pan out until Joe Flacco arrived late in the season and led Cleveland to the playoffs.
Cleveland also signed free agent Marquise Goodwin as a deep threat, but he was slowed by injuries and had little impact during the Browns’ 11-6 season that ended with a playoff loss to Houston.
The Broncos stretched their string of losing seasons to seven with an 8-9 record in coach Sean Payton’s first season in Denver.
The Broncos’ chances of ending their eight-year playoff drought in 2024 seemingly grew slimmer with the decision to move on from Wilson, a separation that carries a whopping $85 million in dead cap charges, forcing the team to jettison veterans such as Jeudy and Simmons, among others.
___
AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
veryGood! (79154)
Related
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Pete Davidson charged with reckless driving for March crash in Beverly Hills
- Federal judge in Texas hears case that could force a major abortion pill off market
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette Water-Skier Micky Geller Dead at 18
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Country Singer Jimmie Allen Apologizes to Estranged Wife Alexis for Affair
- Kourtney Kardashian announces pregnancy with sign at husband Travis Barker's concert
- Bear kills Arizona man in highly uncommon attack
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- What worries medical charities about trying to help Syria's earthquake survivors
Ranking
- Sam Taylor
- Scientists sequence Beethoven's genome for clues into his painful past
- Jessie J Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby Boy Over One Year After Miscarriage
- What's driving the battery fires with e-bikes and scooters?
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- What is Juneteenth? Learn the history behind the federal holiday's origin and name
- Tweeting directly from your brain (and what's next)
- Teen Mom's Catelynn Lowell Celebrates Carly's 14th Birthday With Sweet Tribute
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
Decades of Science Denial Related to Climate Change Has Led to Denial of the Coronavirus Pandemic
What's driving the battery fires with e-bikes and scooters?
The FDA approves the overdose-reversing drug Narcan for over-the-counter sales
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
This Week in Clean Economy: Can Electric Cars Win Over Consumers in 2012?
A new flu is spilling over from cows to people in the U.S. How worried should we be?
This Week in Clean Economy: Chu Warns Solyndra Critics of China’s Solar Rise