One of head coach Sean Payton’s lifers won’t be back with the Broncos in 2025.
Free-agent wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who’s appeared in all 34 games for Denver over the past two seasons, has signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants, his agents Jimmy and Dylan Gould confirmed. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the news.
The 26-year-old Humphrey has played all but one of his six NFL seasons under Payton. He signed with the New Orleans Saints as a free agent after going undrafted out of Texas in 2019, left for the New England Patriots in 2022, then returned to Payton with the Broncos in 2023. He played a key role at times in Denver’s attack this past season, elevated for a time as the Broncos’ No. 2 receiver and finishing with 31 catches for 293 yards.
Payton, historically, has been loyal to his guys, and Humphrey’s case was no different. The receiver opted for the Giants over a one-year offer to return to Denver. Payton sat down with Humphrey and his agents earlier in free agency and said “they wanted him back,” Jimmy Gould told The Denver Post.
After the Broncos signed two-time Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram in free agency, though, Denver’s stable of pass-catchers deepened, and it would’ve likely been difficult for Humphrey to carve out a consistent share of targets.
“There’s a lot of love for Sean Payton,” Gould said. “Sean and I go way back, and Humphrey and he go way back, but this was really about the future and the opportunities that are available to him in New York.”
The move takes one potential name off the remaining free-agent market for Denver, who could still be looking for veteran depth at wide receiver to supplement a young room.
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