The Browns made multiple moves during the 2024 offseason to help quarterback Deshaun Watson blossom.
Cleveland fired its offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt after their postseason contest, replacing him with Ken Dorsey in 2024 as the franchise implemented a pass-oriented offense similar to the one Watson ran in Houston.
The Browns also acquired wide receiver Jerry Jeudy via trade with the Broncos, sending Denver a pair of Day 3 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Jeudy quickly signed a three-year, $52.5 million extension with just $41 million of that salary guaranteed.
Although Watson’s potential was not realized last season, Jeudy flourished in his first year with the Browns.
Analyst Joel Corry praised Cleveland GM Andrew Berry for the decision to sign Jeudy to a contract that is well below his potential as a No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL.
He called it the ‘best contract extension’ for a team last offseason.
Corry explained how much value the Browns received for Berry’s move to sign a contract extension with Jeudy last offseason.
“As a No. 1 wide receiver, Jeudy likely would have been looking to eclipse the NFL’s best No. 2 wide receiver deal. That belongs to Jaylen Waddle, who signed a three-year, $84.75 million extension, averaging $28.25 million per year, at the end of last May. Waddle’s deal has $76 million in guarantees where $35,978,546 was fully guaranteed at signing,” Corry said.
Jeudy became the top target once the Browns traded star wide receiver Amari Cooper to Buffalo in October, and he finished the year with 90 receptions and 1,229 receiving yards.
Those stats were both career-best figures for the fifth-year receiver, helping him earn his first Pro Bowl nod.
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