Steve Smith has never been the kind of guy who lets any form of disrespect go.
Smith felt disrespected by Denver Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy, so Smith told the NFL Network audience just how he felt about it.
The former Carolina Panthers great and current NFL Network analyst said on air that he called out to Jeudy before Thursday night’s game between the Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. Smith said he’d previously called Jeudy a “JAG” — “just a guy” in NFL vernacular, meaning he was just an average player — and said he wanted to tell him that he was playing well and “I know I said some things in the past I probably shouldn’t have, and I’m sorry.”
“That’s what I wanted to say to him,” Smith said on NFL Network.
Smith said that Jeudy blew him off. Smith said that Jeudy told him, “I don’t mess with you,” but with a curse word. Jeudy said that twice, Smith said.
Smith, not surprisingly, was fired up by that and absolutely ripped Jeudy on air.
“I’m sorry I said you were a “JAG,” just a guy, who is an average wide receiver they used a first-round pick on that isn’t doing anything,” Smith said. “I hope today you actually show up in a way 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 you’re an average wide receiver that they will eventually move on [from]. And when teams call me and ask if they should trade for you, I would say no, don’t trade for Jerry Jeudy. Because he’s mentally unable to handle constructive criticism from people who watch specifically, can he be a wide receiver? He can be a wide receiver. He’s a tier three.”
Then Smith told NFL Network to go back to the studio because he was done. Not that he needed to say much more.
It didn’t just end there. Jeudy was dancing right behind Smith and Mike Garafolo as they did their next segment from the sideline, and that didn’t seem coincidental.
Jeudy’s uninspiring play has drawn criticism from other former players and Jeudy hasn’t taken kindly to it. Jeudy has picked social media battles with former Broncos legends like Rod Smith and Mark Schlereth this season. With the Broncos at 1-4 and Jeudy not being a big part of the solution, you can guess who Denver fans have sided with.
The Broncos could be in sell mode before the trade deadline and Jeudy is a name that has come up often in speculation. If the Broncos do decide to trade Jeudy, hopefully other teams don’t call Smith asking what he thinks.
