The success of the Cleveland Browns' passing offense is among the most pleasant surprises of the 2026 NFL season. Entering the year, one might have thought that if Deshaun Watson were going to put together a career-saving season, he would do so with the help of veteran wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. Instead, it has been a pair of rookies who stepped up to help the maligned quarterback hold onto his job and lead the Browns to two wins in three weeks.
As KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston rose, Jeudy slipped. After he led all Browns wide receivers in production in 2025, he now ranks behind those first-year players, tight end Harold Fannin and running backs Quinshon Judkins and Raheim Sanders in both targets (five) and receptions (two). Jeudy is on pace for the least productive season of his career, including a 2021 campaign in which an ankle sprain limited him to 10 games.
The Browns are a young team that, through three games, is clearly committed to its newest weapons as the present and future of the offense. Concepcion was a first-round pick this past offseason, Boston went in the second round of the same draft and Cleveland grabbed Fannin in the third round a year ago. Those three are the face of the passing game, while the 27-year-old Jeudy is an afterthought.
While Jeudy remains under contract through 2027 and carries a massive dead cap hit, the Browns can save money in 2026 by trading him. They would still be on the hook for $25 million next year but can use any savings toward investing in the fresher faces on their roster. Jeudy is two years removed from a Pro Bowl campaign in which he racked up 1,229 yards, and he was a reliable option in Denver for the four years prior, albeit not to the heights originally expected of him as a first-round pick.
He can step into an offense as a No. 2 or No. 3 receiver and contribute straight away. And should a team trade for him, it would only owe him $1.5 million in base salary this year and next, which makes him affordable for rebuilders and contenders alike and offers the flexibility to release him after 2026 if needed. Here are five teams that could benefit from trading for Jeudy.
While the Chiefs did not invest in any wide receiver help in the offseason, they have the look of an offense that could benefit from another weapon out wide or in the slot. Jeudy and Rashee Rice can both move around in the formation while Xavier Worthy remains a deep threat and YAC accumulator out wide. The depth in this group is minimal, and the top two have been just as active as pass-catchers as running back Kenneth Walker III and tight end Travis Kelce, so the wait for one of them to emerge as a go-to target continues (and may never end).
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