Jerry Jeudy Tries, Fails To Get Into It With Steve Smith

1:00 PM EDT on October 13, 2023

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 1: Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy #10 of the Denver Broncos warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on October 1, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images) — Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy's play this season has mirrored that of his team at large: stinky. The former first-rounder came into Thursday night's game against the Chiefs with 17 catches for 208 yards and zero touchdowns, and though he has the husk of Russell Wilson tossing him the rock, Jeudy has surely disappointed. Which was a point former Panthers WR Steve Smith made on a recent podcast, characterizing Jeudy as a "JAG," or, "just a guy" (though not formally in the Defector universe, I believe Smith's usage of "guy" here is spiritually coherent with ours).

Jeudy, apparently determined to convince the world he was a Dude and not a Guy, talked some mild shit to Smith as he was covering Thursday's game for NFL Network, dancing behind him and crashing his TV spot. Smith said on air that he tried to apologize to Jeudy before the game for being perhaps slightly ruder than was warranted. Per Smith, Jeudy told him to fuck off.

So Smith looked straight into the camera and said, "I'm sorry I said you were a JAG, just a guy who is an average wide receiver they [the Denver Broncos] used a first-round pick on that isn't doing anything. I hope today you actually show up in a way that you haven't shown up in the last couple years since they drafted you. So if you ever got a problem with Agent 89, I'm sorry for saying that you are an average wide receiver that they will eventually move on from. When teams call me to ask if they should trade for you, I will say 'No, don't trade for Jerry Jeudy because he is mentally unable to handle constructive criticism who watch specifically if you can be a wide receiver. He's a tier three.'"

Jeudy caught three passes for 14 yards, and when asked about the disagreement with Smith after the game, he said, "I don't remember that." Not sure you can pull the What are you talking about, man? card after talking shit to someone while they're on national TV. The specter of Steve Smith may yet haunt Jerry Jeudy like Big Bird.