During the offseason between the NFL’s 2023 and 2024 campaigns, the Denver Broncos sought to trade wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. The former Alabama All-American wanted to make a fresh start after four seasons with Denver, and the Broncos didn’t object.

Jeudy went to the Cleveland Browns on March 9 for fifth- and sixth-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he has produced the first 1,000-yard receiving season of his career.

Could Jeudy have done that in 2024 catching passes from quarterback Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets?

It might have happened, according to a Tuesday report from The Athletic, but Jets owner Woody Johnson didn’t think Jeudy had a high enough rating in the “Madden NFL” video game to merit the trade.

A report by Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini and Michael Silver detailing the dysfunction of the NFL franchise under Johnson’s leadership includes the efforts of Jets general manager Joe Douglas to land Jeudy as a target for Rodgers and a complement to two-time 1,000-yard receiver Garrett Wilson.

But, the report said, Douglas had to tell his Denver counterpart George Paton that New York couldn’t make the deal because of Johnson’s objection, based on Jeudy’s “Madden NFL” number.

The Jets have three games remaining in their 2024 season, which is the 14th in a row that New York will miss the playoffs – the longest active postseason drought not only in the NFL, but longer than any team in the NBA, NFL or MLB, too.

The Jets have a 4-10 record in 2024. Johnson, who has owned the NFL team since 2000, fired coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 and Douglas on Nov. 19.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.