The Cleveland Browns are trading wide receiver Josh Gordon to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round draft pick.
Browns coach Hue Jackson announced the move Monday after general manager John Dorsey informed Gordon they intended to release him after six seasons this past weekend, reaching a point "where we feel it's best to part ways and move forward," Dorsey said Saturday in a statement. In addition to Gordon, Cleveland will also send New England a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick.
Jackson further outlined the decision to move on from the former star receiver, saying the organization has "done all we can do."
"I just thank (Browns owners) Dee and Jimmy Haslam for doing everything that they could. We tried to create the right environments. It just didn't work out," he said. "Sometimes, it just doesn't work out. Sometimes, you just need a different change of scenery. Hopefully, things work out for Josh. We support him in that way and wish him the best."
Gordon, who was expected to play a key role on a new-look Browns team this fall, missed most of training camp on a leave of absence to focus on his ongoing recovery with addiction. He reunited with the club Aug. 18.
Before that, he returned in December from a three-year suspension for multiple violations of the NFL's substance abuse policy.
A Pro Bowler and the league's leading receiver in 2013, Gordon did not travel with the team for Sunday's loss against the Saints. He caught one pass for a 17-yard touchdown in the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Gordon, selected by the Browns in the second round of the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft, caught 180 passes for 3,106 yards and 16 touchdowns in 41 career games with the team.
