Why Jerry Jeudy Trade Would, Wouldn’t Make Sense For Patriots

Jerry Jeudy might not be the kind of elite, game-changing receiver that Patriots fans are clamoring for. But he easily is better than anyone currently on New England’s roster and might land on the trade block this offseason.

So, should the Patriots look to make a deal?

Well, it depends. First of all, we still don’t know whether New England will re-sign Jakobi Meyers this offseason. If Meyers returns, the Patriots probably won’t have any leftover money to spend on a pricey wideout. Second of all, Jeudy’s status with the Denver Broncos, who now are coached by Sean Payton, is unclear.

“He was available all trade deadline and nobody really, really made a huge push there,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport recently said during an NBC Sports Boston appearance. “So, could be traded? Yeah, but I don’t know that it’d be like the feeding frenzy that maybe he would expect.”

Rapoport’s comments indicate it might not take much for a team to acquire Jeudy in a trade. However, it’s possible that Payton wants to keep Jeudy around to boost the chances of a Russell Wilson rebound. Plus, Denver exercising Jeudy’s fifth-year option — it has until May 1 to make that decision — likely would indicate the Alabama product isn’t available.

With all that said, here are cases for and against the Patriots trading for Jeudy:

CASE FOR
Again, Jeudy isn’t a superstar wideout. But he still is very good.

The 2020 first-round pick racked up 52 catches for 856 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie before injuries limited him to just 10 games the next season. He rebounded in 2022, catching 67 balls for 972 yards and six scores despite missing two games due to injuries and playing in arguably the NFL’s worst offense.

The 6-foot-1 Jeudy is a quick, twitchy receiver known for his polished route-running. Additionally, he is capable of lining up both in the slot (349 snaps this season, per Pro Football Focus) and out wide (362 snaps), something that surely appeals to the Patriots. Jeudy finished the season as PFF’s 20th-ranked wideout, sandwiched between Tee Higgins and Tyler Lockett.

He also has an established connection with quarterback Mac Jones. The two overlapped for three seasons at Alabama, though Jeudy was gone by the time Jones became the full-time starter in 2020. Jeudy didn’t play for Bill O’Brien, who ran the Crimson Tide offense from 2021 through 2022 and now is New England’s offensive coordinator, but it probably is fair to say he’d have familiarity with at least some of O’Brien’s concepts.

Obviously, trade compensation is the biggest factor here. If Rapoport’s reporting is accurate, a team might be able to acquire Jeudy for something less than a first-round pick. The deal probably would start with a second-rounder, but suitors could get creative with their packages.

If the Patriots can land Jeudy for a second-rounder and a mid-round pick, they should consider it. A receiving corps of Jeudy, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton would be a formidable group. Perhaps they’d find a way to keep Meyers, too.

CASE AGAINST
This entire discussion would be moot if we learn that Payton is committed to keeping Jeudy, who has one season left on his rookie contract. The Patriots would need to overpay for a glorified No. 2 receiver, and they’re not going to do that. We’ll know one way or another by May 1, when Denver must make a decision on Jeudy’s fifth-year option.

But even if the Broncos make Jeudy available and are willing to accept just a second-rounder, a team acquiring the young receiver probably would want assurances he’ll sign a long-term deal. It would be like what the Philadelphia Eagles did last offseason with A.J. Brown.

And Jeudy rightfully would want to get paid. No, he hasn’t established himself as a truly elite receiver, but he still is just 23 years old and has plenty of great football in front of him. He certainly is capable of multiple 1,000-yard seasons.

Would Bill Belichick be willing to both part with draft capital and pay a bunch of money for a wide receiver? That never has been his M.O., and it’s hard to envision him breaking custom for someone like Jeudy.

You could argue that he should make such a deal, as teams need great receiving talent to succeed in today’s NFL. But Belichick is who he is, and he might view a Jeudy trade-and-sign as bad business.