The Denver Broncos WR who allegedly tried to hide weed from the cops -- by shoveling it into his mouth -- is catching a break ... because he's not going to jail for his afternoon snack.
As we previously reported, Carlos Henderson was arrested in January when cops say he tried to conceal the sticky-icky evidence by eating it -- unsuccessfully -- during a routine traffic stop.
Henderson -- who's going into his 2nd NFL season -- was charged with possession of marijuana and was facing up to 6 months in jail.
But, don't worry ... Henderson's not getting locked up.
Instead, we're told he was admitted into a diversion program that'll essentially only require him to keep his nose clean for the next 3 months -- and if he does, the case will be thrown out.