Josh Gordon

Patriots To Acquire Josh Gordon

September 17th, 2018 at 3:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

It’s a done deal. Josh Gordon is headed to the Patriots, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Pats will send a fifth-round pick to the Browns for the former All-Pro.

Gordon is expected to play for the Patriots on Sunday night against the Lions, Schefter reports (via Twitter). The Patriots will receive a 2019 seventh-round pick from the Browns if Gordon is unable to play 10 games with New England this season, per Schefter (on Twitter).

The Patriots will waive former Gordon Browns teammate Corey Coleman to make room, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

This trade was initially supposed to be for a sixth-round pick, but with New England not having a 2019 sixth, Schefter adds Cleveland will receive a fifth for Gordon. The Browns wanted to send Gordon to the NFC, and Schefter tweets they discussed the seventh-year wideout with the Cowboys, Redskins and 49ers before the Patriots stepped up. The Gordon market was vast but not flush with strong offers, with Albert Breer of SI.com tweeting a sixth-rounder was set to get this deal done before the Pats agreed to part with a fifth.

The 27-year-old wide receiver recently underwent a hamstring MRI, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the scan came out fine. That would put him on track to play for his new team on Sunday night.

This ends a six-plus-year saga for Gordon in Cleveland. He’s leaving a team that’s won one game since the start of the 2016 season and heading to this era’s most successful franchise. Gordon could be controlled on his 2012 rookie contract through the 2019 season. He’s set to be a restricted free agent after 2018.

“John (Dorsey) got the best he could,” Hue Jackson said Monday (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com).

Some in the Browns’ organization believe Gordon slipped in his recovery program, per Cabot, who adds it wasn’t Gordon’s hamstring issue but his rampant off-field issues that finally prompted the Browns to cut the cord. They first announced they were planning to cut Gordon. That understandably generated a trade market for the mercurial talent, and Dorsey will add draft capital as a result. Although if Gordon proves healthy and available for the Pats, he’ll be worth more than a fifth-round pick.

But the Patriots are comfortable enough to make a deal. They are getting a player who delivered one of the greatest receiving seasons in NFL history, albeit way back in 2013, and one of the league’s most notorious suspension risks. Gordon’s missed all but 11 games since the start of the 2014 season.

Gordon will add not only to the extensive Browns-Pats pipeline that’s formed — joining Jamie Collins, Barkevious Mingo, Jason McCourty and Danny Shelton among notable players these franchises have exchanged recently — but represent another Bill Belichick reclamation project. He’ll join Corey Dillon, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson and Albert Haynesworth in that club and represent more risk than each, given his history.

The Patriots, however, could well be facing a closing championship window — with Tom Brady now 41 — and have made 28 wide receiver transactions since the 2018 league year began. They’ve attempted for months to find weapons for Brady; they’ve now landed the most interesting possible piece.

New England is without Julian Edelman until after Week 4 and have been discussing receivers with other teams leading up to their Gordon deal. The former second-round supplemental pick joins a receiving corps headed by Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett.

Belichick will gamble the newest Patriot can stay on the field. Gordon missed all of the 2015 and ’16 seasons due to substance-abuse trouble, incurred a 10-game 2014 ban and did not suit up for the Browns until December 2017 post-reinstatement. Gordon also missed Browns training camp, reportedly checking himself into a rehab facility in fear of another substance-abuse relapse. He also admitted he’d played under the influence since high school, so his future with another organization will be interesting to follow.

Patriots Nearing Deal For Josh Gordon

September 17th, 2018 at 2:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Browns-Patriots trade pipeline might be set to produce its biggest deal yet. The Patriots are discussing a deal for Josh Gordon, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) they are getting close to hammering out an agreement.

Cleveland announced intentions of jettisoning its mercurial pass-catching talent on Saturday, and as many as 10 teams have contacted the Browns about Gordon. The Patriots appear to be one of them. They’ve been discussing wideouts with other teams as well, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).

New England would make sense for Gordon, given its issues at wide receiver and Tom Brady now in his age-41 season. The superstar wideout would be an upgrade for the Pats, who are still two games away from getting Julian Edelman back. Edelman and Gordon obviously do not have similar skill sets, so the two could (on paper) coexist for a team trying to keep its Super Bowl championship window open.

While not all of Bill Belichick‘s gambles have worked out, the additions of Corey Dillon in 2004 and Randy Moss three years later paid off massively for the Patriots. Gordon has encountered far more trouble than either but is not believed to be facing another suspension. He played in Week 1 for the Browns, catching a touchdown pass, but was deactivated on Sunday after apparently injuring his hamstring during a promotional video shoot.

The 49ers and Jets were believed to be interested, John Lynch admitted he inquired about the 27-year-old talent, and rumblings about a Gordon-to-Philadelphia scenario have surfaced. But Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports doesn’t believe the Eagles are in the Gordon hunt (Twitter link).

The Patriots may be willing to make the best offer. New England and Cleveland have agreed to deals on Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton, Jason McCourty and Barkevious Mingo in recent years. A Gordon-to-Foxborough agreement, though, would easily surpass these in terms of headline impact.

Best known for his rampant unavailability and a historically dominant 2013 season, earning him a first-team All-Pro honor prior to his slew of suspension troubles, Gordon going to New England would be fascinating. He’s obviously never played with a quarterback on Brady’s level and has two possible years of team control on his 2012 rookie contract. Gordon will be a restricted free agent after this season.

Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett reside as the Pats’ top available receivers. No player is perhaps further away from being a sure thing than Gordon, his having missed all but 11 games since the start of the 2014 season, but Albert Breer of SI.com notes Gordon could potentially be had for a late-round pick. With so many teams inquiring, it’s conceivable Cleveland could net a mid-round selection for its most talented receiver, but Gordon’s baggage could limit the haul.

Browns Expected To Trade Josh Gordon Today

September 17th, 2018 at 8:23am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns are expected to trade wide receiver Josh Gordon today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), who adds Cleveland could conceivably receive a conditional pick that could ultimately become a mid-round selection.

Eight-to-ten clubs have contacted the Browns regarding Gordon’s availability, per Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link), and some teams are reportedly “adamant” that their interest in Gordon be made public. 49ers general manager John Lynch admits he’s reached out to Cleveland about Gordon, as Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area writes, while the Jets have some interest but are unlikely to acquire Gordon, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are not in the running for Gordon, tweets Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News.

Gordon, of course, has dealt with numerous off-field issues during his career, but it doesn’t appear as though he’s suffered any sort of relapse to precipitate the Browns moving on from him. Instead, Cleveland has developed “trust issues” with its 27-year-old pass-catcher, who reportedly injured his hamstring during a recent photo shoot. Indeed, part of rival clubs’ analysis on Gordon will include how long it will take him to recover from said injury.

Any team that acquires Gordon will take on the remainder of his $790K base salary for the 2018 season. Gordon, whose contract has tolled multiple times during his career, will become a restricted free agent at the end of the year.

Several Teams Have Inquired On Josh Gordon

September 16th, 2018 at 8:54am CST by Rory Parks

Shortly after the Browns announced their plan to release Josh Gordon yesterday evening, we heard that rival clubs were already calling Cleveland to inquire about trading for the troubled wideout before he hits the open market. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk lends further credence to those reports, writing that a few teams have indeed discussed a trade with the Browns.

It is not surprising that teams would be interested in the tremendously-talented Gordon from a pure football perspective, but it would be surprising if a club surrendered draft capital to acquire him if there were truth to the speculation that Gordon had suffered a relapse in his battle with substance abuse. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that the Browns’ decision to part ways with Gordon is not drug-related, though he did injure his hamstring during a team photo shoot. Given Gordon’s history, of course, it is fair to be skeptical of the circumstances surrounding his impending departure, and one league executive said, “if [the Browns] are letting him go, something is up” (Twitter link via ESPN’s Josina Anderson).

But assuming that Gordon has not run afoul of the league’s substance abuse policy, we could see the Browns strike a deal to send him elsewhere, though there are no concrete reports as to which teams have expressed interest. Florio speculates that the 49ers, Patriots, Seahawks, and Cowboys could be in the running, but Calvin Watkins of The Athletic tweets that he does not expect Dallas to make a play for Gordon.

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, citing the 49ers’ previous interest in Gordon, says he would not be surprised if San Francisco were one of the clubs willing to trade for him, though he suggests that any trade would include only conditional compensation (Twitter link). Any team that does trade for him would take on the balance of Gordon’s $790K contract this year — a bargain if he can stay on the field — and would have the right to keep him under club control with a a restricted free agency tender in 2019.

Rapoport tweets that Gordon himself is most interested in the Cowboys and 49ers, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the Browns intend to trade Gordon to an NFC club (Twitter link).

Reactions, Notes On Josh Gordon Situation

September 15th, 2018 at 9:38pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Josh Gordon news continues to come flying in in the wake of the Browns‘ stunning announcement earlier today. There have been plenty of developments, including reports of a possible relapse and that the Browns will look to trade Gordon rather than release him.

The Browns would clearly prefer to get assets back rather than cut him for nothing, and it appears they may get their wish. “As many as five teams are researching possibly trading for Gordon” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link) who notes that “Cleveland has a market.” It’s unclear what any potential compensation would be, but it likely won’t be anything too valuable. A later round pick, perhaps even a conditional one, seems more likely at this point despite all of Gordon’s talent.

Here’s more surrounding the situation:

In the aftermath of the Gordon news, many immediately began suspecting the Browns would reach back out to Dez Bryant, who they had brought in for a visit and reportedly made an offer to. But Bryant’s name “hasn’t come up around the building lately” and the Browns are “not certain he wants to play football” according to Josina Anderson of ESPN (Twitter link).
One team that was quickly brought up in connection to Gordon was the Cowboys. But despite their dire need for a number one receiver, don’t expect Dallas to be a player for Gordon writes Calvin Watkins of The Athletic (Twitter link,) who says “I just don’t see the Cowboys investing in” the troubled young wideout.
It was initially reported that Gordon would go on waivers, and any team could claim his contract if Gordon was let go, but that’s not true. Gordon would become a free agent if the Browns aren’t able to work out a trade as former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry explains (Twitter link). Gordon spent at least three games on a roster for a total of four seasons, barely meeting the threshold to avoid waivers.

Browns Will Look To Trade Josh Gordon

September 15th, 2018 at 7:33pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

New details are pouring in on the shocking release of Josh Gordon. It was reported by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that Gordon “wasn’t himself” at the team facility earlier today and that the team suspected he had relapsed.

Now it’s being reported that the Browns will attempt to trade Gordon before releasing him by Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Schefter writes there are”teams already calling the Browns” and that sources think the Browns are “far more likely to trade Josh Gordon than release him.” It also makes sense for the Browns to try and get assets back for him rather than dumping him for nothing. The Browns’ initial statement where they said they would be releasing Gordon “on Monday” and not right away always seemed curious and this helps explain why.

Since Gordon has spent time on a roster during at least four seasons, he won’t be subjected to waivers if he were released. He would be free to sign with any team and potentially spark a bidding war. As such, it makes sense that teams would try to swing a trade for him to get him at his current relatively cheap contract.

There was also mystery surrounding Gordon’s hamstring. It was initially reported Gordon would miss the Browns’ Week 2 game against the Saints with a hamstring injury. Gordon “hurt his hamstring at a promotional shoot, not at practice” according to Schefter (Twitter link). Gordon suffering the injury likely contributed to what people are describing as “trust issues” between Gordon and Cleveland. Be sure to keep checking back, as this story will almost surely develop further.

Browns To Release Josh Gordon

September 15th, 2018 at 6:28pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

UPDATE: Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has details via Twitter on the release, reporting that Gordon was late to the team’s facility today and that it was an “overall trust issue for a player already on thin ice.” Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports Gordon was “not himself” when he showed up to the facility and “there was concern that perhaps he had relapsed and was struggling with his substance use again.”

The Browns will release receiver Josh Gordon on Monday the team announced today (Twitter link).

It’s an absolutely stunning move and one that will send shockwaves across the league as the team has previously stuck with Gordon through everything. He’s battled a hamstring injury since he returned to the team earlier this summer, but had a touchdown catch in their Week 1 opener. The Browns’ statement, from GM John Dorsey, reads as follows:

“For the past six years, the Browns have fully supported and invested in Josh, both personally and professionally and wanted the best for him, but unfortunately we’ve reached a point where we feel it’s best to part ways and move forward. We wish Josh well.”

It was announced earlier today that the Gordon would miss the Browns’ Week 2 game against the Saints with a hamstring injury, although that now appears to have been made up. It always seemed fishy since he had practiced fully each day this week.

Kay Cabot’s reporting indicates the Browns thought he had relapsed and showed up to the facility under the influence. Whatever it was, they’ve kept him on the roster through multiple suspensions and substance abuse related absences before so it must’ve been deemed pretty serious.

Gordon will finish his career in Cleveland with 180 catches for 3106 yards and 16 touchdowns. Overall, it’s a sad day as it seemed Gordon had finally gotten his life back on track and was in a good place with the Browns.

AFC North Notes: Gordon, Steelers, Mixon

September 15th, 2018 at 2:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh Gordon trekked to the Browns facility Saturday complaining of hamstring trouble, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), and that’s resulted in the team ruling him out for Sunday’s game against the Saints. Gordon did not travel with the Browns to New Orleans.

This escalated rapidly. Gordon was expected to suit up in Week 2 after playing in Week 1. But the receiver with a notorious penchant for unavailability was slow to return from his latest hiatus because of hamstring pain. Cleveland will attempt to stun New Orleans without him, and Gordon will miss yet another game. After Sunday, the 2013 All-Pro will have missed 55 of the Browns’ past 66 games.

From a player who’s struggled to a historic degree to stay on the field to one whose voluntary absence has generated one of the most unique holdouts in NFL history, here’s the latest from the AFC North.

The Steelers took Le’Veon Bell off their depth chart this week and barely anything came out of this saga this week. The running back remains absent from his team and will miss out on another $853K game check, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Bell will have lost $1.7MM by the end of Week 2. This preservation-based holdout has generated concerns from around the league, and even if Bell limits himself to a half-season’s worth of work or less, he will still go into free agency with far more carries than typical running backs seeking second contracts do. Bell has 1,229 totes already, and that’s with him missing 19 career games. By season’s end, assuming he returns, that number figures to reside around at least 1,400. Seeking a Todd Gurley– or David Johnson-level pact is complicated by the fact those younger backs have 1,244 career carries combined.
Ben Roethlisberger‘s full practice Friday probably gave this away, but he is slated to play Sunday. ESPN.com’s Diana Russini tweets the 15th-year Steelers quarterback will suit up against the Chiefs in Week 2. An elbow injury cropped up and caused Big Ben to miss Pittsburgh’s Wednesday and Thursday practices, but he’ll be back for a key AFC matchup. With Roethlisberger in the lineup, the Steelers — counting 2016’s divisional-round win — have beaten the Chiefs six straight times dating back to the 2011 season. Kansas City’s one win over Pittsburgh this decade came in 2015 with Landry Jones at the controls.
Joe Mixon underwent knee surgery and is set to miss between two and four weeks of Bengals action. The surgery involving a small particle in Mixon’s knee being removed went well, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports. This would explain the positive outlook the second-year running back’s received. Bengals brass initially feared Mixon would miss up to six games.

AFC Rumors: Decker, Gordon, DRC, Broncos

August 25th, 2018 at 2:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

At this summer’s outset, the Patriots‘ receiving corps looked like it could feature plenty of depth. Kenny Britt, Jordan Matthews and Malcolm Mitchell were competing for spots for a team whose top receiver is a 32-year-old slot man coming off a season-erasing injury. But the Julian Edelman-fronted group has experienced some turnover, with that aforementioned trio no longer in the picture. New England brought in another veteran, Eric Decker, recently. The Pats would be the 31-year-old receiver’s fourth NFL team, but he’s not a lock to make the 53-man roster, Andy Hart of Patriots.com writes. Decker does not seem comfortable in the Pats’ offense, Hart adds. If Decker cannot make the Patriots, the supporting cast behind Edelman and Chris Hogan won’t be a slew of seasoned wideouts. Underwhelming ex-first-rounder Phillip Dorsett remains in contention, and kick-return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson looks like a roster lock. Special-teamer Matthew Slater and would-be rookies Braxton Berrios and Riley McCarron round out one of the more interesting groups of the Tom Brady era.

Here’s the latest out of the AFC, shifting to a more famous wide receiver.

Josh Gordon‘s back on the Browns‘ active roster after yet another stint away from the team. The Browns are preparing their mercurial weapon to play in Week 1, but he’ll likely miss Thursday’s preseason finale due to hamstring discomfort, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com tweets. Gordon looks to be in the clear as far as another NFL suspension goes, when it was once thought the league could discipline him for his camp absence because of the extensive substance abuse in the seventh-year receiver’s past. But Cabot reports the Browns are working alongside the NFL and Gordon’s medical team to bring him back to work. She adds (via Twitter) the NFL’s cleared Gordon and it will be up to the Browns to determine his participation going forward.
Jon Gruden‘s last Raiders team had a deep cast of 30-somethings. This collection doesn’t bring the notoriety the Tim Brown-, Jerry Rice– and Rich Gannon-led operation did, but Gruden’s assembled a unique crew of veterans this offseason. Now that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie‘s on the team, the Raiders have signed 11 players north of 30 just this year. As for why the 32-year-old cornerback is in Oakland after a lengthy stay in free agency, it appears to be because of injuries. “We have had a number of corners go down, and we need somebody to come in here and make a play,” Gruden said, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic (on Twitter). “With his history in this league, he has a lot of clout. … We are hoping we can rejuvenate him. … He can play.”
Shamarko Thomas has enjoyed an eventful preseason. The latest notable event involving the veteran safety proved to be a scary sequence. The recently signed Broncos defender spent the night in a Washington D.C.-area hospital for a possible detached retina, Mike Klis of 9News reports (via Twitter). Thomas is now back in Denver, per Klis (on Twitter). The precise damage to Thomas’ eye remains uncertain. This comes two weeks after Thomas became the first player ejected from a game under the NFL’s new helmet rule. The Colts then released him shortly after. He’s battling for a backup job in Denver.

Browns Activate WR Josh Gordon From NFI List

August 25th, 2018 at 9:48am CST by Ben Levine

Josh Gordon is back on the Browns active list. The team announced that the wide receiver has been activated from the non-football injury list and is eligible to participate in all football activities. Since the wideout was already on Cleveland’s 90-man roster, the team won’t have to make a corresponding roster move.

We heard yesterday that Gordon would begin participating in the Browns’ walkthrough portions of practice. It’s uncertain if the 27-year-old will be ready to go for the season opener against the Steelers, but participating in practice is certainly an encouraging step. The receiver returned to the Browns last week after taking part in a health and treatment plan earlier in the preseason.

The 27-year-old has only played in 10 games since 2014, but he was productive following his return to the Browns last season. In five games (five starts), Gordon hauled in 18 receptions for 335 yards and one touchdown. The receiver’s best season came in 2013, when he compiled 87 catches for 1,646 yards and nine scores.

After trading former first-rounder Corey Coleman earlier this month, the Browns receiver depth is questionable behind offseason addition Jarvis Landry. If Gordon ends up missing any regular season time, the Browns will have to turn to two of Antonio Callaway, Rashard Higgins, Jeff Janis, and Damion Ratley for starting gigs. The uncertainty surrounding Gordon led the Browns to consider Dez Bryant, but a deal seems unlikely.

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