The New York Jets attempted to pull off a trade this offseason and were rejected.
Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed on Wednesday, April 24 that the green and white “pursued” wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in March. Despite offering “more draft compensation”, the Jets were rejected by the Denver Broncos and they decided to trade him to the Cleveland Browns instead.
Jeudy went from the Broncos to Cleveland in exchange for a 2024 fifth-rounder and a 2024 sixth-rounder. Shortly after the trade, the Browns rewarded Jeudy with a new three-year contract extension for $52.5 million. That deal included $41 million in total guarantees.
Jets Dodged a Major Bullet This Offseason
A former NFL general manager told me this offseason that often the best move he ever made was the one he didn’t.
From Rosenblatt’s reporting, it sounds like the Jets were very interested in trading for Jeudy but for whatever reason the Broncos decided to take less to trade him elsewhere.
In four NFL seasons, Jeudy the former No. 15 overall pick in the first round has proven to be just a guy.
He has never recorded a 1,000-yard season nor has he been able to stay consistently on the field. Jeudy has 211 career receptions for 3,053 receiving yards and has 11 touchdowns.
Those numbers are underwhelming. The draft compensation to acquire him wasn’t out of this world, but the thought of giving him an extension of that caliber seems over the top.
Missing out on Jeudy was a blessing in disguise for the Jets.
Rosenblatt explained in his column that general manager Joe Douglas pivoted to Mike Williams after missing out on Jeudy.
Williams has not only proven to be a far better pro than Jeudy throughout his career, but it also was a better deal.
The former Clemson product is set to earn $8.6 million in cash for 2024. Jeudy on the other hand is set to earn $19 million in cash for the upcoming season.
In Williams’ case, the Jets only had to give up money. If they traded for Jeudy they would have had to do that and give up draft compensation to the Broncos to pull off the deal.
Jets Aren’t Done Adding Weapons to the Offense
Rosenblatt said ahead of the 2024 NFL draft he has heard that JD isn’t “done making moves.”
“The Jets are actively looking into scenarios in which they’d trade up or trade back from No. 10 depending on how the top of the draft plays out,” Rosenblatt explained.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller said he keeps hearing “pass catcher” from his sources when he reaches out about the Jets’ draft plans.
ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler said that the Los Angeles Chargers “are eager to trade back” from the No. 5 overall pick in the first round.
The first team he mentioned as a possibility to move up is the Jets based on the “long-standing relationship” between new Chargers GM Joe Hortiz and Jets GM Joe Douglas. They spent years together with the Baltimore Ravens.
In that scenario, the Jets could be moving up the board for one of the top wide receivers in the class. It is unclear if the green and white stay at pick No. 10 if any of those players would make it to them.
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