In the wake of the Denver Broncos' back-to-back wide receiver extensions this past week, some have questioned whether it signifies something foreboding for Jerry Jeudy. Mile High Huddle's own Luke Patterson floated the idea of the second-year Jeudy perhaps being used as a trade asset to land a veteran quarterback in the spring.
Apparently, it brought the issue to the forefront as KOARadio's Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright addressed it on Twitter the next day after checking with a team source.
"Per Broncos source: 'Lol, no. We have no plans to trade Jerry Jeudy after signing Courtland [Sutton] and Tim [Patrick]. All three factor into our long term plans,'" Allbright tweeted on Friday.
Is it definitive? No. After all, even if the Broncos' front office was entertaining the option of using Jeudy as trade bait in the offseason, GM George Paton certainly isn't going to broadcast it to media.
However, Allbright's sources on topics such as this are usually right on the money. The Broncos probably aren't considering moving Jeudy come the spring.
But, things change. One of Patterson's main points in speculating on Jeudy is the fact that the Broncos might find it difficult to pay big-money deals to not two but three wideouts in the future.
The thing is, Sutton's deal is a four-year term, while Patrick's is a three-year. For the most part, the Broncos will have wiggle room on each deal after Year 2, respectively, which is about when the team will have to make a decision on Jeudy. Sutton's deal is worth $60.8 million with $34.9M guaranteed while Patrick's totals $34.5M with $18.5 guaranteed.
As it stands, Jeudy is under team control through 2023 and if the Broncos opt to exercise his fifth-year option, that window extends to 2024. That gives Paton plenty of time to continue allocating those salary-cap dollars to Sutton and Patrick, along with whatever acquisitions are made between now and then, whether by trade, free agency, or the draft.
Jeudy is now three games into his return to the field after suffering a severe ankle injury in the season opener. He's been targeted 21 times by Teddy Bridgewater — more than Sutton (12) and Patrick (14) — hauling in 16 receptions for 156 yards (9.75 avg).
Obviously, Jeudy is a security blanket of sorts for Teddy. So, maybe the quarterback can throw Jeudy a bone and target him in the red zone on Sunday vs. the Los Angeles Chargers as the former first-rounder out of Alabama is yet to score a touchdown in 2021.
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