The Cleveland Borwns have announced the separation from Josh Gordon. General Manager John Dorsey announced on Saturday in a statement that the franchise and the wide receiver will go their separate ways starting next Monday.
“In the past six years, the Browns have always supported and invested in Josh, both personally and professionally,” Dorsey is quoted in the communication: “We wanted only the best for him, but now we have reached a point where it is better to go our separate ways.
When the Wide Receiver appeared late on Saturday at the Browns’ training grounds, it is said to have been “not himself” according to a report by Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. After playing an excellent second season in 2013 (1,646 YDS, 9 TD) and even being elected to the NFL All-Pro team, the 27-year-old was suspended from the NFL for a year for alcohol abuse.
From 2014 to 2017, the wide receiver did not play a single game. In the meantime, Gordon voluntarily went into inpatient treatment in order to regain “complete control” over his life.
He made his comeback in 2017 with NFL permission. In Week 1 of this season, he caught a 17-yard pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-21.
Before the Borwns release the wide out on Monday, however, there could be a trade. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reports that five teams are already discussing the possibility of signing the 27-year-old.
He had thanked the Browns via Instagram, who had drawn him in the Draft 2012 as the only player in the Supplemental Draft, and at the same time offered himself to other NFL teams: “Same book, new chapter. Does anyone need a wide receiver?”