Wait, Jerry Jeudy just got how much money?
The Cleveland Browns on Tuesday reportedly signed Jeudy to a contract extension that some might consider an overpay. The Browns acquired Jeudy earlier this month in a trade with the Denver Broncos.
Jerry Jeudy Contract Extension Details
News of the Jeudy extension shouldn’t have come as a surprise, as the 24-year-old receiver was entering the final year of his rookie contract, which included a fifth-year option. A deal was inevitable for whichever team traded for Jeudy.
But the numbers, first reported by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, stunned those who question whether Jeudy deserves a large contract.
Jeudy and the Browns agreed to a three-year, $58 million contract extension, according to Rapoport. Most notably, the deal includes $41 million guaranteed.
That’s a lot of money for Jerry Jeudy. In fact, the $41 million guaranteed is just $9 million less than the $50 million guaranteed that Calvin Ridley got from the Tennessee Titans. Ridley is the better player and entered NFL free agency as the top receiver available on the open market.
However, let’s wait until the rest of the details come out. As first pointed out by Brad Spielberger of Over the Cap and Pro Football Focus, the $41 million guaranteed might fold in the $12.987 million fifth-year-option salary that Jeudy already was owed.
That would leave roughly $28 million in new money guaranteed at signing, putting Jeudy more in line with No. 2 receivers such as Gabe Davis and Darnell Mooney, who received similar contracts in free agency. It’s just speculation, though, so let’s see what the final numbers look like.
Nevertheless, Jeudy will make at least $41 million over the next three seasons.
Is Jeudy Worth What Browns Are Paying Him?
Jeudy’s talent is undeniable. There’s a reason he was drafted 15th overall in 2020.
But the Browns gave up a fifth- and sixth-round pick to acquire Jeudy, and now they’re paying him $41 million. That’s a lot of compensation for a player who’s coming off his most disappointing season as a pro.
Jeudy caught just 54 balls for 758 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games. The numbers were down from his career-best season in 2022 (67 catches, 972 yards, six TDs) and from his impressive rookie campaign in 2020 (52 catches, 856 yards, three TDs).
Jeudy’s least productive campaign was in 2021, but he missed seven games due to injuries.
Jeudy’s defenders will point toward his age (24) and ability to produce in a bad offense as reasons to believe the best is yet to come. And it’s true that Jeudy wasn’t in a great situation in Denver.
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But he also was a headache both on and off the field, with the Broncos repeatedly leaking him as a potential trade target over the last two years. That doesn’t happen by accident.
The Browns only can hope a change of scenery will bring out the best in Jeudy. If it doesn’t, they’ll have made a costly mistake.
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