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Former Broncos 1st-round pick finding out the hard way after demanding trade

The grass isn't all that green in Cleveland, apparently.
Sayre Bedinger
Sayre Bedinger

Predominantly Orange

Denver Broncos, Jerry Jeudy / Logan Bowles/GettyImages

The grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence; it's green where you water it.

Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy wanted a trade out of town, and he got it. He told ESPN last season that he was asking to get out of Denver for two straight years, and the Broncos finally gave him what he wanted by trading him to the Cleveland Browns in the 2024 offseason.

The trade not only got Jeudy out of Denver, but got him to a place where he was paid handsomely. Jeudy seemingly got everything he wanted, didn't he? He got out of Denver, he got to a place that force-fed him targets, and he got a nice contract. What more could he possibly have wanted? As it turns out, he's still missing something.

Jerry Jeudy clearly living in regret after demanding a trade from the Broncos in 2024

In a recent media availability, you can see (and hear) the frustration from Jeudy in a blatantly obvious way. He's not giving any quotes that give away his disdain for the situation he's in, but you can tell that he's miserable.

The Cleveland Browns are 2-8 heading into their game against the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend. Jeudy will be catching passes from yet another quarterback with Dillon Gabriel suffering a concussion last week, paving the way for Shedeur Sanders to take over.

Even though it's injury-related, you can tell from the way Jeudy is answering questions that he's just fed up at this point.

Jeudy has 31 catches in 10 games this year on 73 targets. It's easily the worst year he's having in his NFL career so far in terms of the overall catch percentage. He has nine drops in 10 games this season after 13 drops last year, and obviously he's not "thriving" in a football sense.

The greatest game of Jeudy's career was in Denver, it just so happened to be on Monday Night Football as a member of the Browns. And even though Jeudy dominated in that game against a cornerback who isn't even in the NFL anymore, he undoubtedly felt vindicated (in a loss, no less).

Now, you can tell that Jeudy must be living with some regret over his decisions. He's stuck in Cleveland, a historically bad organization. He felt like the Browns were utilizing him properly in the early stages of his time there, but now, he's not only part of a losing team, but he isn't getting chances to make plays.

Jeudy's situation is a classic example of why you have to be careful what you wish for. The ones who stuck it out in Denver are reaping the benefits as a 9-2 Super Bowl contender, while Jeudy is stuck answering questions about how to speed up the process of building chemistry with yet another quarterback.

While Jeudy was granted a trade out of Denver, it was he who made the trade of essentially the exact situation he was in with the Broncos, but in brown.

Sayre Bedinger

Sayre Bedinger

Sayre Bedinger is a site expert for FanSided who has covered the Denver Broncos since 2013. Sayre's Broncos fandom developed after his grandparents relocated to Estes Park, CO during the John Elway glory days, and that passion for the team has resulted in many years and thousands of articles covering the team. Sayre is also the site co-expert of FanSided's NFL Spin Zone, providing coverage of the entire league. He is also a contributor for FanSided's Lombardi Ave (Packers), The Landry Hat (Cowboys), and a number of other local sites covering NFL teams. Sayre was inducted into the FanSided Hall of Fame in 2017. He is also the co-host of the Locked On Broncos Podcast and has been featured as a regular contributor on Bleacher Report. Sayre is a Disney World fanatic who hopes to take his family on trips there multiple times a year.