AFC Notes: Browns, Gordon, Jets, McCown

Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon was asked this week about whether he wants to continue his career in Cleveland. He didn’t exactly give a straight-on answer.

“I’m here to help the team win, that’s my first priority,” Gordon said (video link via ESPN.com). “Being the best football player I can be, that comes first and foremost. Anything else after that, I have no control over. I’m here to help this team win and I’ll do that the best way I know how.”

With the trade deadline in the rear view mirror, we know that Gordon will be in Cleveland at least until the end of the year. The Browns are working to get the newly-reinstated receiver ready in time for their Week 13 clash against the Chargers. If he plays well, it’s possible that the Browns could shop him to interested teams.

Here’s more from the AFC:

• Jets GM Mike Maccagnan won’t rule out bringing Josh McCown back as the starting quarterback in 2018. “We’re just midway thorugh this season. We’ll see how the rest of this season plays itself out. But again, I can only speak very highly of what Josh has brought to this organization not only as a player, but as a person,” the GM said (via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY). Next year, McCown will be 39 years old. Although he is playing well this year, it would be surprising if the Jets do not try and upgrade the quarterback position to better position themselves for the future. If McCown would be willing to sign another one-year deal with something similar to his $5MM base, however, he could once again serve as a “bridge” to whoever the Jets’ next signal caller will be.
• Bengals coach Marvin Lewis told Sirius XM that right tackle Jake Fisher has an irregular heartbeat that will need a procedure to be corrected (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell). Lewis added that doctors recommend no contact sports for a while. Fisher was placed on the NFI list on Wednesday but did not disclose his condition at the time.