The Cleveland Browns have had a tough end to 2014, as Johnny Manziel had a party that caused Josh Gordon to be suspended and now his future along with the free agency situation for the wide receiver is up in the air and moving forward, Mike Pettine and owner Jimmy Haslam could look at trades to bring in a new quarterback like Jay Cutler or RG3, as Brian Hoyer is likely leaving in free agency.
The Browns finished the season on a down note, as they lost to the Ravens and that came as reports surfaced about a party involving Johnny Manziel and Josh Gordon over the weekend. According to ESPN.com, Gordon was suspended for missing a team activity after the party and reports have multiple players at that party on Friday night. Manziel and Gordon both missed team meetings and Manziel was hit with a fine for violating team rules.
Manziel was set to have treatment on his injured hamstring and was late for that and this all comes after Manziel said himself that needs to take his job more seriously. Manziel had an up and down rookie season and while he was able to get some starts before getting injured, he did not do much to prove to the Browns that they should have confidence in him going forward.
The move to suspend Gordon was very significant, as it put him at five active games for this season and that changes his free agent status potentially. Gordon was suspended for the first part of the season after dealing with a drug suspension and he returned after 10 games, putting him in line to be active for six games in 2014. Being active for those six games would give him an accrued season in NFL terms and that would mean he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Since the team put him on the reserve/suspended list for the game on Sunday, it took one game off of that and now he is in line to be a restricted free agent. That distinction is huge for a player like Gordon, as he is young and just one year removed from leading the league in receiving yards. Gordon signed a deal after being a supplemental draft pick and while he has had off the field issues, he is one of the most talented players in the league. ESPN reports that Gordon and his agent will fight for his pay for Week 17 and the designation of being an unrestricted free agent and that could take time to sort out. Gordon missed a walk-through on Saturday with the team and that sparked the move to the suspended list.
Some players on the Browns were pleased with Connor Show coming in at Week 17 and while he is not the long term option, it shows that the team is willing to go in another direction. Manziel was picked at number 22 in the draft and now it looks like he will not be the starter come 2015 and the team may have to bring in another quarterback to take over. Hoyer is headed into free agency and could be brought back, while ESPN.com writes that a potential Jay Cutler or RG3 trade also could be options.