Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has stepped away from football to enter rehab, and all indications are that he will not be back with the Browns next season. Though he's extremely talented, Gordon has dealt with plenty of off-field troubles that has kept him off the field each of the last two seasons. Which teams could take a gamble on him? Here are the five teams most likely to sign or trade for him.
5) Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia is getting by with Jordan Matthews, Dorial Green-Beckham and Nelson Agholor at the position, but they need a legitimate No. 1 option to take this offense to another level. With a young locker room, adding Gordon might be a big risk - but one that may pay dividends on the field.
4) Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are desperately looking for wide receiver help, and Josh Gordon would provide a formidable duo with Kelvin Benjamin. Carolina has taken a major step back this season, making their lack of weapons very obvious. However, they may want to stay away from Gordon and his off-field issues given what they went through with Greg Hardy, but he would be an upgrade.
3) San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco has virtually no weapons in the passing game. Torrey Smith has proven he is nothing more than a good deep threat, and the rest of the 49ers' wide receivers are the worst group in the league. With head coach Chip Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke feeling pressure to improve to save their jobs, they are likely to gamble on Gordon's talent.
2) Los Angeles Rams
Speaking of teams without offensive weapons, the Rams are another team that was a big need at wideout. Tavon Austin is a good player, but is definitely not a No. 1 option. Los Angeles is also in win-now mode, and they want to give Jared Goff a reliable wide receiver when he steps into the starting role at some point. Gordon would finally give them that guy and would completely open up their offense.
1) New England Patriots
This would be the slam dunk of slam dunks for the Patriots. Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are great, but both are better suited as slot receivers. Tom Brady hasn't had a legitimate outside weapon since Randy Moss, when he had the best seasons of his career. Unquestionably the strongest locker room in the league, this is Gordon's best chance for success.