The New England Patriots completed a trade with the Cleveland Browns for Josh Gordon, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Patriots are sending a conditional 2019 fifth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for the wide receiver.
The #Patriots have agreed to trade for #Browns WR Josh Gordon, I'm told. Done deal. IT's for a conditional 5th round pick.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 17, 2018
New #Patriots WR Josh Gordon had an MRI on his hamstring and I'm told it came out fine. That means… Gordon could play for New England in Week 3.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 17, 2018
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Patriots are sending the Browns a fifth-round pick and will receive a seventh-round pick back if Gordon is not active for 10 games.
Full compensation trade update: Patriots send Browns a 2019 fifth-round pick for WR Josh Gordon and get back a 2019 seventh-round pick if he is not active for 10 games, source tells ESPN. Trade was supposed to be for a 6th-round pick, but Patriots don't have a 6th.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 17, 2018
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters before Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions that "a call" was made to the Browns about Gordon and the team was "doing its due diligence."
Gordon played five games in Kyle Shanahan's system when the 49ers head coach was Cleveland's offensive coordinator in 2014.
Rapoport reported on Monday morning that the 49ers' interest in Gordon was "more tepid than anything" and the team appeared to be monitoring the situation. It is unknown how serious San Francisco was in acquiring the receiver via a trade or as a free agent.
The Browns informed Gordon on Saturday that he would be released on Monday. He was ruled out of Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints due to a hamstring injury. The injury occurred during a promotional shoot and not during practice, according to Schefter.
Josh Gordon hurt his hamstring at a promotional shoot, not at practice, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2018
Had the decision been his, which it would have been had he been released, Gordon would have reportedly been interested in playing for either the 49ers or Dallas Cowboys.
Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice wasn't too enthusiastic about the possibility of Gordon landing with the 49ers.
"I would stay away," Rice said Monday morning on 95.7 The Game. "I think the guy is a great athlete, but it's just way too much going on with him. I don't think he's totally committed."
Gordon did play during Cleveland's 21-21 Week 1 tie against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had one reception which was for a 17-yard touchdown.
"This (Saturday) afternoon we informed Josh Gordon and his representatives that we are going to release him on Monday," Browns general manager John Dorsey said via a statement. "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."
Gordon returned last December from a three-year suspension for multiple violations of the NFL's substance abuse policy. He missed most of training camp to focus on his ongoing recovery with addiction before rejoining the Browns on August 18.
Gordon did not travel to New Orleans with his teammates. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported on Saturday that the receiver was not himself when he showed up at the team facility on Saturday, which, given the player's history, concerned the Browns.
Updated: #Browns Gordon showed up late to the facility on Saturday morning and was 'not himself.' Red flag for possible substance use was the concern of some in the org, sources tell clevelanddotcom https://t.co/KMdBeX9JVO
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 15, 2018
The Browns made Gordon a second-round draft pick out of Baylor in 2012. His best season came in 2013 when he recorded 87 receptions for a league-leading 1,646 yards with nine touchdowns, which earned him a Pro Bowl selection and first-team All-Pro honors.
The Browns reportedly had conversations with the 49ers, Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and others. The team wanted to send him to the NFC but received a better offer from New England.