Report: Jerry Jeudy, Jets, Broncos Trade Was 'Far from a Done Deal' amid Madden Rumor

The New York Jets and Denver Broncos weren't "nearing the finish line" on a trade involving wide receiver Jerry Jeudy before he landed with the Cleveland Browns, according to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.

Florio also cited a source who said there was "a zero percent chance" Denver would've taken an offer from New York believed to be a Day 3 draft pick and wideout Allen Lazard.

"When the talks ended, the trade was (per the source) 'far from a done deal,'" he wrote.

The Jets' pursuit of Jeudy was among the subplots in a story from The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver detailing the organization's wider dysfunction. According to the report, team owner Woody Johnson wasn't keen on the 25-year-old pass-catcher because of his rating in the Madden video game series.

Jeudy, for his part, said he thought the story was "fake news" and was incredulous at the notion an NFL decision-maker would use Madden ratings when weighing a transaction.

It's entirely possible The Athletic's report mischaracterized what happened behind the scenes leading up to Jeudy no longer being a target for New York.

Rosenblatt, Russini and Silver reported that then-general manager Joe Douglas was in "deep negotiations with Denver GM George Paton on a swap.

"The Broncos felt a deal was near," the report said. Then, abruptly, it all fell apart. In Denver's executive offices, they couldn't believe the reason why.

"Douglas told the Broncos that Johnson didn't want to make the trade because the owner felt Jeudy's player rating in Madden NFL, the popular video game, wasn't high enough, according to multiple league sources."

However, Florio's follow-up doesn't explicitly refute the notion that Johnson referenced Jeudy's Madden rating in some context when the trade was at least on the table.

Even if the owner didn't instruct Douglas to cease negotiations because of how Jeudy was rated in a video game, it doesn't speak to a healthy organizational process if he weighed in whatsoever with that input.

Another revelation from The Athletic's report was that Johnson's two sons, Brick and Jack, have become increasingly present behind the scenes and offered their input despite not having formal roles.

"Johnson's reference to Jeudy's Madden rating was, to some in the Jets' organization, a sign of Brick and Jack's influence," the report said. "Another example came when Johnson pushed back on signing free-agent guard John Simpson due to a lackluster 'awareness' rating in Madden."

Maybe the details about the Jeudy trade were a little less damning on the Jets. But there clearly seems to be major structural issues within the franchise.