The Cleveland Browns have had enough of Josh Gordon’s antics, but that likely won’t stop other teams around the NFL from lining up for a chance to acquire the talented wide receiver.
The Browns on Saturday let it be known they plan on getting rid of Gordon by Monday, essentially telling the rest of the league they’re open for business and are ready to hear offers.
We already know Gordon’s preference would be to play for the Dallas Cowboys or San Francisco 49ers, according to reports. The problem for Gordon, though, is that he doesn’t really have a say in the matter, and given how many headaches he’s caused the Browns, Cleveland might not be willing to do him any favors.
Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman also indicated Sunday that Gordon might have interest in the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Browns seem less inclined to trade him within the conference.
(Side note: That’s dumb because the Browns probably aren’t contending for the playoffs and should just maximize their return by taking the best offer regardless of conference.)
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport added a little more context to the situation Monday morning, indicating the Browns feel the market for Gordon will be fairly robust. He said he’d be “very surprised” if Gordon wasn’t traded, adding Cleveland could get “substantial compensation” for Gordon, most likely a conditional draft pick.
And there’s this from the folks at ESPN:
As Rapoport noted, Gordon is playing under a team-friendly deal that essentially has him under contract for the next two seasons, which adds to his value.
From the “For what it’s worth” department, at least one oddsmaker currently has Dallas and the New England Patriots as co-favorites to land Gordon.
When he’s on the field, Gordon is one of the NFL’s most talented receivers, as evidenced by his 2013 season, when he led the league in receiving yards. Drug problems have railroaded his career until this point, hwoever, and he’s appeared in just 11 games total since that All-Pro season in 2013.
