Insider Says Jerry Jeudy’s Trade Value Has Changed

Trade rumors look very different once a team starts winning. A veteran who seemed easy to move in September can become much harder to pry loose when his team is leading its division in late October. The price goes up, and the urgency to sell goes down. That appears to be what is happening with one Browns receiver as the deadline approaches.

Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen of ESPN ranked Jerry Jeudy 5th on their list of the top 25 trade candidates, based on the value he could bring to a new team.

“The Browns are not actively sending out feelers on Jeudy, but they would at least consider a substantial offer. Key word here is ‘substantial,’ though. I’m not sure, say, a fourth-round pick would move anyone in Cleveland, for example,” Fowler wrote.

Fowler’s report is a clear shift from where this story started. It was reported earlier this month that the Browns wanted something in the early 3rd- to 4th-round range.

Now even a 4th-round pick may not be enough. Fowler gave Jeudy just a 20% chance of being traded and pointed to his role in the Browns’ 3-receiver sets as a big reason.

That role has grown as the Browns have kept winning. Jeudy caught all 4 of his targets for 69 yards against the Baltimore Ravens and earned a game ball from Todd Monken, who said the offense is better when Jeudy gets the ball. He added 4 more catches against the Tennessee Titans.

Bowen’s scouting report explains both sides of the debate. He praised Jeudy’s route running and his ability to separate at every level of the field, but he also pointed to 33 career drops and a lack of size on contested throws. Jeudy has just 16 catches this season, a long way from his 1,229-yard campaign in 2024.

ESPN listed the Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders as possible fits.

Money is part of the calculation, too. Moving Jeudy now would leave the Browns with $9.3 million in dead money this season and another $25.4 million next year. A team accepting that cost would want more than a mid-round pick in return.

The deadline arrives on November 10 at 4 p.m. ET, 2 days after the Browns play the New Orleans Saints. If Cleveland comes out of the next 2 road games still atop the AFC North, keeping a veteran receiver for the playoff push may look like the smartest move Andrew Berry can make.