When Jerry Jeudy was dealt to the Browns in March, the move ended long-running speculation about his future in Denver. When reflecting on the process which brought him to Cleveland, the fifth-year receiver said he asked to be dealt on two separate occasions. 
“It didn’t come out of the blue at all,’ Jeudy confirmed in an interview with Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette. “I’m the one that decided that. I made the decision to come [to Cleveland] and I’m excited with my decision… I actually came up to [the Broncos] and asked that I wanted a new atmosphere, a new change of scenery. I just wanted to go somewhere else and have a new feel and a new atmosphere.”
The 25-year-old said he initially asked head coach Sean Payton for a trade at the start of the 2023 season, Payton’s first in Denver. That was shut down, allowing Jeudy to play a fourth campaign with the Broncos. He posted a 54-758-2 statline, production which fell short of his career-best season the year before. After receiving interest from a number of teams, Denver went ahead with a trade, sending Jeudy to the Browns for 2024 fifth- and sixth-round picks.
Once that deal became official at the start of the new league year, Jeudy inked a three-year extension including $41MM guaranteed and a total value of $52.5MM. The Alabama product was aware of the Browns’ previous interest in acquiring him, and while Jeudy acknowledged other teams were in contention to land him he did not offer specifics. He is hopeful the change of scenery will allow him to reach 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, something which could happen with an increase in usage in Cleveland compared to Denver.
“I wouldn’t just say it was Payton’s system,’ Jeudy said about his target share with the Broncos. “It’s just a lot for a receiver. You need everything to come together and connect all at once to be able to get the ball a lot.”
Jeudy currently sits second on the Browns’ receiver depth chart behind Amari Cooper. The latter recently had incentives added to his contract, which is still set to expire after the 2024 campaign. Cooper could be part of a package Cleveland sends to San Francisco for Brandon Aiyuk, but until anything tangible happens on that front he will remain the team’s top receiving option. Jeudy will spend the rest of training camp preparing for his first Browns campaign after having his request for a fresh start granted.