There’s a new mistake by the lake. 

Jerry Jeudy is your problem now, Cleveland. 

The Broncos traded a receiver that runs the poutiest routes in the league on Saturday, nearly a full year after the team should’ve closed the curtain on Jeudy and his prima donna act. 

The two late-round draft picks that Denver will receive from the Browns in exchange for Jeudy is another glaring example of the too-little, too-late thinking of an NFL franchise that has completely lost its way since former owner Pat Bowlen passed away in 2019. 

While Sean Payton likes to remind everybody what a no-guff, old-school tough guy he is, if Coach Crabbypants actually had the guts to bench Russell Wilson when the team’s record was 1-5 and traded safety Justin Simmons in October instead of letting him walk away last week for nothing, the Broncos would be far better off than they are on this sad Sunday on the eve of NFL free agency. 

We’d quite likely be talking about whether quarterback Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye would be on the board when the Broncos were on the clock with the third pick in the opening round, instead of wondering if they have the resources to trade up from No. 12 to get J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan. 

This is a franchise so misguided it can’t even lose for winning. 

Let’s hope the exit of Jeudy, a better locker room lawyer than pass-catcher, is the end of the madness. 

Payton might loathe to call it rebuilding. 

But to borrow a line from our brave Navy SEALS, let’s hope the Broncos have finally embraced the suck. 

The “D” in Denver can no longer stand for denial. After eight long years of pretending they could be contenders, Payton is taking a jackhammer to every grimy fingerprint on the roster and misstep in the draft left by John Elway in the building. 

With the distinct possibility that center Lloyd Cushenberry and linebacker Justin Strnad will soon depart Denver in free agency, there’s a real chance the Broncos will open next season with zero players in uniform from 16 prospects taken in the 2019 and 2020 drafts, when Elway had emotionally checked out as architect of the team. 

While it’s far easier to scream and shout and blame all the Broncos’ woes on Wilson, those busts of two entire drafts on players that would’ve, should’ve, could’ve been core contributors to a legit playoff contender are a major reason why Payton has little choice but to blow it all up and start over. 

It has been a tough week for any Broncomaniac heavily invested in orange jerseys hanging in the closet. No. 3? See ya. No. 31? Toodles. No. 10? Good riddance. 

Are we done with the bittersweet farewells at Dove Valley Headquarters? I’m not so sure. 

Courtland Sutton, a good receiver and better man, should ask out of this dumpster fire. And I would suggest the Broncos say thanks but no thanks to free agent linebacker Josey Jewell, a righteous dude with high football mileage on his nearly 30-year-old legs and shoulders. 

Squint really hard through orange-tinted glasses, and maybe you can see a way Denver wins six or seven games this season. But that’s not the best-case scenario. It would be the worst, meaning the ego of Payton wouldn’t allow him to fully wrap his arms around the ugly task of a full rebuild. 

The first order of business for the Broncos in free agency should be to sign a veteran quarterback at a discount price. Take your pick: Sam Darnold, Jacoby Brissett. I don’t care. 

Yes, almost any QB in the bargain bin has more game than Jarrett Stidham. But the more pressing reason for the Broncos to add a semi-legit NFL quarterback is to keep a rookie off the field, no matter how loudly Broncos Country might howl for the new QB on the block. 

My stance? Should Payton land a young signal-caller he thinks can get the job done for the next 10 years, whether it be Bo Nix, Michael Penix or McCarthy, why risk ruining his confidence in his first season with a lousy team? 

And here’s one more modest proposal: Should the football gods not allow the Broncos to grab the rookie quarterback Payton is willing to bet his legacy on, Denver should trade back from No. 12, allowing the team bereft of Pro Bowl talent to draft a cornerback worthy of playing opposite of Pat Surtain, while also adding a little extra draft capital in the process. 

The best thing the Broncos can do with the NFL’s best fans is to level with them. This year needs to be all about the blood, sweat and tears required to do the dirty work this team has avoided for too long. 

If the Broncos don’t finish last in the AFC West this season, they’re doing it wrong. 

It’s not tanking. It’s an extreme makeover. 

The goal should be so obvious it doesn’t need to be said aloud: Pick first or second in the 2025 NFL draft. 

What will that get the Broncos? 

Either of the two fine, young football players you might’ve read all about in The Denver Gazette. Or maybe even seen roaming Folsom Field. 

Quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Or cornerback Travis Hunter. 

From the Buffs to the Broncos.