Josh Gordon
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The New York Jets are the “frontrunner” to land the talented yet troubled star Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon. 

Yes, you read that headline correctly. The New York Jets are clearly going all in on the 2018 season. On Sunday morning on NFL Gameday Morning, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport said that the New York Jets were the “frontrunner” for the talented Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon.

In that same report, Rapoport suggested the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Seattle Seahawks as “teams in the mix at this point.”

The first question Jets fans are asking themselves is, why is he suddenly available? Fair question.

“The Browns provided no details behind their decision to part ways with Gordon, but a source told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that he broke the team’s ‘trust’ when he reported to the facility Saturday with a hamstring issue after being a full participant in practice all week.”

Apparently, from sources, it appears that the hamstring injury that was suffered between Friday’s practice and Saturday morning occurred during a non-team related photo shoot.

Of course, this has not been the only issue with Gordon, who has had an NFL career that’s been plagued with substance abuse. Gordon posted an Instagram story later Saturday in which he thanked the Browns and their fans:

“Huge s/o to the city of Cleveland,” Gordon wrote. “This place will always feel like home to me.. I’m extremely honored and blessed to have been able to grow up and start a life amongst such a passionate and motivated group of individuals.. It’s been a hell of a journey with you guys. I wish all of you nothing but the best.. Thanks to the @ClevelandBrowns organization for having me, I’ll never forget my time here.

“Same book, next chapter..”

But the most interesting nugget was what he ended with: “P.S. Anybody need a deep threat WR??”

Apparently, the New York Jets do?

As noted earlier, the green and white are a leading favorite to land the talented wide receiver out of Baylor. The compensation would likely be conditional based on Gordon’s troubled past and not more than a fourth or fifth round draft choice, according to sources close to the situation. Although with so many teams interested, perhaps that could increase value in a bidding war.

A couple interesting nuggets of note here for the Jets:

  • Many fans of the team believe their team is set at the position and you can certainly make that argument. The Jets have Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson, Jermaine Kearse, and Terrelle Pryor. But there’s a problem, none of these guys are a true No. 1.
  • Gordon has an obvious elephant in the room, his troubled past. Would the Jets be willing to potentially jeopardize the chemistry on this team or more importantly their star rookie quarterback Sam Darnold?
  • Ultimately, compensation is the big question. The New York Jets were involved heavily in the Khalil Mack sweepstakes with a source revealing the Jets finished in “second place.” Now it appears the Jets are involved in another bidding war. Gordon would be a superb fit from a talent perspective in this offense, he can take the top off a defense and provide even more in the red zone than a Pryor can currently. The Jets are willing to make a move as long as the move doesn’t jeopardize the future, from what I’m hearing the compensation that’ll be doled out won’t be anywhere near that category.
People call me Boy Green for my unwavering dedication to all things New York Jets. I work at The Score 1260 in Syracuse and I'm extremely passionate about sports. I aspire to continue my rise through the business and hopefully I'll end up working for the New York Jets in some capacity.