Patriots obtain troubled receiver Gordon from Browns
Josh Gordon’s strange, stuttering career will start anew in New England.
Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have a new offensive toy.
The Browns severed ties for good with the problematic wide receiver by trading him to the Patriots for a fifthround draft pick on Monday, ending a relationship the team did all it could to save.
The deal came together two days after the Browns reached a breaking point with Gordon, who has been suspended numerous times by the NFL for drug violations since Cleveland drafted him in 2012.
“He is gone now,” coach Hue Jackson said.
Gordon played in the Browns’ season opener against Pittsburgh, but he reported to the team on Saturday with an unexplained hamstring injury after practicing all week. The Browns decided to leave him behind when they traveled to New Orleans, and later said they intended to release him.
However, Cleveland general manager John Dorsey found there was a crowded market for him and worked out the swap with New England, which will also get a seventh-round pick.
The Browns have been supportive of Gordon, but the team felt betrayed and decided it was time to move on.
“We’ve done all we can do for Josh,” said Jackson, who didn’t provide any specifics about Gordon’s issues over the weekend. “We tried to provide the right environment. It just didn’t work out. Sometimes you just need a change of scenery and hopefully things work out for Josh.”
Vikings cut Carlson: With a roster built for the Super Bowl, the Minnesota Vikings were in no position to practice patience with a struggling kicker.
Rather than hoping Daniel Carlson could refocus after missing all three of his field goal attempts in the tie game at Green Bay, the Vikings waived the rookie and punted on the fifth-round draft pick they used on him five months ago.
Two of Carlson’s misses came in overtime on Sunday, forcing the Vikings to settle for a 29-29 draw with the rival Packers. When asked by a reporter how the decision was reached, coach Mike Zimmer said, “Did you see the game?”
Carlson missed from 48 yards in the second quarter and 49 yards in the extra period, before his 35-yard try on the game’s final play also went wide right.
“Yeah, it was pretty easy,” Zimmer said.
The Vikings didn’t immediately add a replacement for Carlson, but Zimmer confirmed that free agent Dan Bailey was making his way to Minnesota for a physical exam. That made it all but certain the Vikings will sign Bailey, the second-most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history. The 30-year-old was released by the Dallas Cowboys right before the regular season began in a cost-saving move following his injuryinfluenced regression in 2017.
Wentz is cleared: Quarterback Carson Wentz was cleared to return and will start for Philadelphia against Indianapolis.
“I was impressed with how well he attacked his rehab,” coach Doug Pederson said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do.”
Wentz tore his left ACL and LCL on Dec. 10, 2017 in a game against the Los Angeles Rams and had surgery three days later. Backup quarterback Nick Foles led the Eagles to their first NFL title since 1960 and was Super Bowl MVP in the 41-33 victory over New England.