Amidst the unwavering trade rumors surrounding Denver Broncos wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, national reporter for NFL Network, Tom Pelissero, revealed the Broncos are in fact not moving on from either star receiver, in contrast to previous reports. Despite recent rumors, Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who personally spoke with Tom Pelissero, referred to Jeudy and Sutton as "two good football players" and concluded with "we're not trading those two players." Great news for the Jeudy and Sutton super fans.
Earlier on Saturday, Jeff Legwold of ESPN reported that league sources expected the Broncos to deal Jerry Jeudy "closer to the draft" and that the front office was "resolute about getting a 1st or 2nd round pick in any trade that involves Jerry Jeudy" however, was quickly refuted by Sean Payton, as previously mentioned. With that being said, fans and critics are still questioning the possibility of Payton falsely spreading information to the public due partly to the fact that it is "lying season" during this stage of the off-season.
While this may stand true, verbiage and wording are the most important parts of these public statements from NFL front office members and coaches. Speculation is one thing, but when Payton states "we're not trading those two players" rather than "we're not interested in trading those two players", this carries an entirely new meaning opposed to the original statement. Being interested could mean the team doesn't "want" to trade away the players but, would still entertain appealing trade offers and potentially engage in a deal at some point in the future. On the other hand, when Payton puts his foot down and states the team will not complete any trade, you have to trust his word. It would be a very bold decision and questionable impression to go out of his own way to make a public statement of this magnitude and come to the resolution of dealing with either of the two receivers in his very first year as Denver's head coach.
In terms of the news itself, this is fantastic news for Broncos fans around the world as well as Jeudy and Sutton themselves. Arguably the team's two best receivers are returning for another season and are receiving the first opportunity of their young pro careers to play for one of the greatest offensive minds in NFL history under Sean Payton.
Jerry Jeudy who has seemingly kept his head down throughout the whirlwind of trade rumors had a career year in 2022 despite nagging ankle injuries, poor quarterback play, and poor offensive play-calling. If there's any receiver in the NFL that has been largely at disadvantage due to poor quarterback accuracy, it has been Jerry Jeudy. In 2020, 25% of Jeudy's targets were off target, which ranked 8th highest in the NFL. With slightly better quarterback play, especially as he formed chemistry with Russell Wilson towards the end of the 2022 season, he accumulated a passer rating of 110.1 when targeted while producing 972 receiving yards (392 after the catch) and 6 touchdown receptions, according to Pro Football Reference. To complement that, this was achieved in just 14 games started in which he was playing not fully healthy. The Jerry Jeudy arc is certainly one to keep an eye on.
As for Courtland Sutton, fans have seemed to underestimate what he brings to Denver's offense. Considered to be a "down year" to some, was still a fairly productive season for a starting wide receiver. Being Russell Wilson's "go-to" receiver to open the first stretch of the season definitely convinced fans and analysts that his 2022 season would result in a pro-bowl selection however, shortly after was outshined by the emergence of Jerry Jeudy in the second half of the season. While the most effective aspect of his game, his contested catching ability, wasn't living up to the hype, he still managed to rack up 829 receiving yards on 64 receptions and 2 touchdown receptions.
The biggest concern with Sutton last season consisted of his 9 drops over the course of the season however, there were too many occasions where he was being heavily relied on by Russell Wilson in the passing game and was often being forced the ball even when the coverage was at its best. When targeted, 4 passes resulted in interceptions (worst in Sutton's 5 NFL seasons) and quarterbacks had an average passer rating of 73.5 (2nd worst of his 5 NFL seasons). While Sutton doesn't possess the deep route running ability to maintain long-distance separation, the quarterback play ultimately has to be better moving forward.
Everything considered, Broncos fans should be very excited as both receivers are still very young and in the primes of their career (Jeudy 23 and Sutton 27). With multiple key offensive pieces returning including Garett Bolles and Javonte Williams and the team claiming a new identity as a "run first" offense, the workload and pressure will be reduced for the two young receivers making it much more likely for both to produce efficient seasons. The future is bright and the best has yet to come for wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton.