The Cleveland Browns announced Monday they traded wide receiver Josh Gordon and a conditional 2019 seventh-round draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2019 fifth-rounder.
To make room for Gordon on the roster, the Patriots cut former Browns first-round pick Corey Coleman. The Browns signed free-agent wide receiver Rod Streater.
"This afternoon we informed Josh Gordon and his representatives that we are going to release him on Monday," general manager John Dorsey said in a statement released Saturday. "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."
Selected in the second round of the 2012 supplemental draft, Gordon has proven to be an exceptional talent -- when he's on the field. Availability has been Gordon's biggest issue, with the receiver missing all of 2015 and 2016 due to suspension and returning for the final five games of 2017. Of 98 possible games (counting each game from Cleveland's 16-game regular-season slates from 2012-2017 and the first two contests of 2018), Gordon has appeared in just 41.
As a result, typing "six seasons with the Browns" in reference to Gordon isn't entirely accurate. Cleveland has stuck with the receiver through multiple violations of the league's Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse, offering support when possible through each violation, even as they resulted in extended absences. After finishing the 2017 season healthy, Gordon missed 2018's training camp to ensure his health and wellness, and the Browns again supported Gordon, welcoming him back in the final two weeks of the preseason.
It remains to be seen what Gordon will be able to do for the Patriots or when he might play. One thing is for sure, though: The image of Tom Brady tossing touchdowns to a streaking Gordon sure is tantalizing.
