Why Did Andrew Berry Hold Off on Playing for the Browns Before Continuing Jerry Jeudy?

The general manager of the Browns, Andrew Berry, extended a three-year contract to 2020 first-round pick Jerry Jeudy before he even took the field, indicating his belief that Jeudy will play a significant role in the team’s future plans.

In a poker game, Andrew Berry would go all in right now if he were managing the Browns. The general manager of Cleveland has never been afraid to take a few chances in order to put together a roster worthy of a Super Bowl. You only need to consider his offseason acquisition of wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.

In order to obtain the 2020 first-round selection, Berry handed Denver his fifth and sixth round selections from this year’s NFL Draft. For a young wideout with some unrealized potential, it’s a small price to pay. However, Jeudy carries some risk given that he was unable to live up to the high expectations placed on him during his first four years of the league. Berry continued despite this, not just trading for the 24-year-old, but they’re also going all in by giving him a three-year deal that could be worth up to $52.5 million—even though he hasn’t yet appeared in a game for the Browns.

Even though Jeudy still has a lot to show, the move was shocking to many outside the organization, but it was the kind of proactive choice he’s grown accustomed to making.

At the league’s annual owner’s meetings, Berry told a small group of reporters, “We feel that our contract management philosophy has been a competitive advantage for us.” “And we’re firm believers that in that space the best front offices or the best teams are proactive as opposed to reactionary and market dynamics.”

With a guaranteed $41 million and an average annual value of $17.5 million, Jeudy’s extension appears to be quite expensive. However, when compared to wide receiver salaries across the league, which rise at an exponential rate annually, the For a wideout Cleveland is banking on to become a reliable contributor in their offense, the financials are actually rather good.

“In Jerry’s case, you already saw two new receiver contracts enter the market that really are harbinger of things to come in that market,” Berry said. “I mean, that market’s peak is likely to be above $30 million by Week 1 of the NFL season.

The Titans signed Calvin Ridley, one of the best players available this offseason, to a four-year, $92 million contract. To replace Ridley in Jacksonville, another player, former wide receiver Gabe Davis of the Bills, was given a three-year, $39 million contract. The wide receiver market’s future is unpredictable, as is the total amount that the Browns would have paid to keep Jeudy if he were to return to the 2022 form of himself that almost achieved a yardage of 1,000 and six touchdowns.