Predicting which Denver Broncos WRs will be with the team in three years
By Jack Ramsey
The Negotiator: Jerry Jeudy
Jerry Jeudy is the biggest wildcard on this list. Jeudy is entering his fourth season with the Broncos and has both 2023 and 224 under contract. Jeudy broke out in 2022 with over 1,000 scrimmage yards and 6 receiving touchdowns, both career highs. He dealt with some minor injury problems, but overall turned in a healthy and productive campaign in his first year with Russell Wilson. Jeudy had his fifth-year option picked up, deservedly so, and figures to be at the center of the Broncos' offensive plans for a minimum of two more years.
Jeudy, however, will need more than just one healthy season to justify a new contract with the Broncos. While the team has not exactly been "burned" by the deals they handed to Sutton and Patrick, they have yet to see a reasonable return on investment for the money that they have given to the two receivers. Jeudy, however, presents a different case. His best year did not result in a new deal, but an extra year added on to his first deal. By the time the Broncos would need to hammer out a new deal with him, they would have a four-year sample size of health and production, with the initial area being the more concerning part.
However, the Broncos still have a lot of money tied to Sutton and Patrick, and will see massive cap hits come into play from names like Mike McGlinchy soon. While those names are beginning to add onto the cap, others like Russell Wilson and Garett Bolles might be off the books by then. A deal for Jeudy that will likely exceed $20 million a year would require them to clear some cap space, but there is no reason to think they the team can't. After all, cap isn't even real, right?