The Cleveland Browns have a rather horrendous history of trades with the Houston Texans, namely the catastrophic deal for quarterback Deshaun Watson that is still a strain on the organization four years later, but if at first you don’t succeed … etcetera, etcetera.
That perhaps should be general manager Andrew Berry’s attitude with regards to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, a now expendable part of a Browns’ offense that is chalk full of young talent at the position and has little need for Jeudy and his $52.5 million salary that runs through 2027.
If everything goes right in Cleveland — and either Sheduer Sanders takes a huge leap out of nowhere or, more likely, the Browns land a high draft pick next April and select a rookie as their franchise QB — the team is going to be bad for exactly the remaining length of Jeudy’s deal.
So why should Cleveland pay a player it doesn’t really need on precisely the wrong timeline when the Texans just lost Jayden Higgins to a torn ACL? The second-round pick out of Iowa State was poised to serve as the team’s WR2 and potentially be an NFL-wide breakout player in his second professional season.
But now, Houston is likely instead in the market for a pass-catcher to pair with star X wideout Nico Collins. Jeudy’s skill set as a moveable piece who can work out of the slot renders him a fit alongside Collins. And Jeudy’s salary, while significant, is not onerous by any means when comparing it to other No. 2 receivers around the league.
If the Texans are willing to part with their third-round pick in next year’s draft, which is likely to fall somewhere in the mid-80s to mid-90s, the Browns would have the incentive to seriously consider a deal.
Strained Relationship Between Jerry Jeudy, Shedeur Sanders Another Reason Browns Might Consider Trade
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
Even more incentive for the Browns to trade Jeudy, beyond the $33.5 million in savings over the next three years, is the tenuous relationship he has with Sanders.
The two engaged in multiple sideline conflicts across Sanders’ seven and a half games of action down the stretch of 2025, and some accused Jeudy of promoting Watson as his QB1 of choice in a recent TikTok video.
Jeudy went on record saying that wasn’t the case, but regardless, the relationship has been strained in the past and there is a reasonable chance that Sanders will start at some point in 2026, even if he doesn’t win the job outright heading into Week 1.
Jerry Jeudy’s Departure Would Clear Path for Browns’ Trio of Young, Talented Wide Receivers
GettyWide receiver Denzel Boston of the Cleveland Browns.
The final pieces of the Jeudy trade puzzle are the Browns’ trio of young, athletic receivers who will all get more field time, more targets or both if Jeudy plays elsewhere during the upcoming campaign.
KC Concepcion, a first-round rookie, stood out in the team’s preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, and was one of the few players who did.
Denzel Boston, an early second-round rookie, has been the best player in the position group across the entirety of training camp, according to essentially every report available.
And second-year pass-catcher Isaiah Bond would benefit most from Jeudy’s absence, as he would almost certainly ascend into the WR3 role.
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