The New England Patriots have been trying to find a top receiver for a while now to no avail. That quest continues on, as swapping out Jakobi Myers for JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason doesn't seem likely to move the needle.
That said, there may still be a chance to address that hole this offseason. It's not likely, but Denver Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy has popped up in trade rumors, and if he is available, the Patriots must pounce on the opportunity.
There are a couple of reasons why Jeudy isn't likely to be available. For one, the Broncos recently picked up his fifth-year option, so he's now under contract for the next two seasons.
For two, general manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton have been adamant that Jeudy will be on the team next season.
As they say though, where there's smoke, there's fire. The persistent rumors indicate that Denver has given at least some thought to trading Jeudy. And in those rumors, the Patriots are one of the most common teams to appear as a trade partner.
The 2020 first-round pick could be the solution to the Patriots' long-standing receiver issues, and here's why they should pursue him.
Jeudy would be a perfect fit for Patriots
Jeudy is an interesting receiver to evaluate. He had a solid rookie season in 2020, posting 52 receptions for 863 yards and three touchdowns. Then in 2021, he had a sophomore slump with just 38 receptions for 467 yards and no touchdowns in 10 games. It all began to click for him in 2022.
The Broncos didn't have many positives on offense last season, but Jeudy was one of them. He was easily Denver's best receiver with 67 receptions for 972 yards and six touchdowns, all team-highs.
Even with the Broncos' dreadful offense in 2022, Jeudy proved that he can be a star receiver in the league.
So, when reports came out that the Broncos were open to trading Jeudy, receiver-needy teams like the Patriots were all over him- and for good reason.
As mentioned previously, New England desperately needs to surround third-year quarterback Mac Jones with more weapons. He had a bad sophomore slump in 2022, in which the lack of recovers played a big part.
Jones should improve with Bill O'Brien as his new offensive coordinator, as he actually has experience at the position. However, the lack of talent around him is still a major concern.
And what better way to address that problem than reuniting Jones with an old teammate. He and Jeudy are very familiar with each other thanks to their time at Alabama.
Jones wasn't the primary starter when Jeudy went pro, but they still played together frequently when Tua Tagovailoa was injured.
Most notably, Jeudy caught six passes from Jones for 204 yards and a touchdown in Alabama's 35-16 win over Michigan in the 2020 Citrus Bowl. There's no doubt that Jones would be extremely happy to play with Jeudy once again.
Trade requirements
Part of the reason why the Broncos haven't traded Jeudy yet could be because they simply haven't found a deal worth taking.
After all, reports came out that they were asking for a first-round pick in exchange for Jeudy. So, it's understandable why no team bit on that when first-rounders are so valuable.
Now that the draft has passed though, perhaps the Broncos lowered their asking price a bit.
Only a few receivers have fetched a first rounder recently, notably Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown. Jeudy is good, but he's not on the same level as those guys and thus, a first rounder is pretty steep.
Even still, Marquise Brown netted the Baltimore Ravens a first-rounder last year, so anything is possible.
Instead, New England should offer a second and a fourth-round pick, or something in the ballpark of that. This price would be well worth it for a weapon like Jeudy and would be a fair price for Denver as well.
If that's what it takes for the Patriots to end their receiver woes, they will happily pay that price.
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