The Cleveland Browns recently decided to buy low on former Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, trading several late-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft to get him. And just weeks later, they decided to shockingly commit to him long-term.
Jeudy came to the NFL with a ton of promise, going as the No. 15 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Broncos in hopes that he would revitalize their struggling offense at the time.
That didn’t exactly go to plan, as Jeudy has largely struggled to stand out all that much at the NFL level. In four NFL seasons, Jeudy has failed to reach the 1,000-yard mark thus far.
The Browns trading for Jeudy wasn’t a bad move by any means, as it gave Jeudy a change of scenery that could ultimately help him reach the potential most once saw in him.
Well, somehow the Browns have already seen enough from Jeudy to commit a significant amount of money to Jeudy for the future. On Tuesday, the Browns agreed to a three-year contract extension worth up to $58 million with $41 million guaranteed in the deal.
The #Browns and WR @jerryjeudy have agreed to a three-year contract extension worth up to $58 million, including $41 million fully guaranteed at signing, per me and @TomPelissero.
The deal was negotiated by @equitysports CEO @chriscabott. pic.twitter.com/ozzyd4Qps8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 19, 2024
Fans naturally took to social media to voice their opinions on the move, with many fans blasting the organization for what on the surface appears to be a pretty massive overpay for what Jeudy has produced on the field thus far.
Exactly 2 years ago yesterday Deshaun Watson signed a 5 year, $230 million contract with the @Browns
Now Jerry Jeudy gets a 3 year, $58 million contract
You deserve better Cleveland fans https://t.co/RuJF91ZSR5 pic.twitter.com/iaX7BSGgmT
— Smoov (@SmoovSofaShow) March 19, 2024
$41M guaranteed for 11 career TDs.
— Zack Kelberman (@KelbermanNFL) March 19, 2024
At this rate, DJ Moore’s extension is gonna cost the #Bears one trillion dollars https://t.co/19NA38OYzV
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) March 19, 2024
Andrew Berry’s made some shrewd moves as GM, but he also seems to have a weird obsession with burning money https://t.co/r0juVcsKic
— Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) March 19, 2024
19 Million a Year for Jerry Jeudy is gross. https://t.co/jAOMHMyJPm
— Monte (@MONTECRI5TO) March 19, 2024
This is big. The Browns are committed to Jerry Jeudy, who they’ve wanted for quite some time. https://t.co/J8VAbgIySh
— Nick Pedone (@NickPedone12) March 19, 2024
Could this move potentially pay off down the road for the Browns? Potentially, but Jeudy will need to take a pretty significant step over the next three seasons for this large of a deal to even make a little bit of sense.
Only time will tell whether that ultimately ends up being the case or not. But for the time being, Browns fans certainly don’t appear to love the move.
