Josh Gordon Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz and Speculation Surrounding Browns WR

As the Cleveland Browns await word on whether the NFL's impending new drug policy will rescind Josh Gordon's season-long suspensions, the team's behind-the-scenes plans to move on from the trouble wide receiver in 2013 have surfaced. 

According to a report from Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the Browns engaged in serious internal discussions and negotiated with other teams on potential trades for Gordon last season. The San Francisco 49ers were atop a list of possible suitors, as they tried to pair quarterback Colin Kaepernick with an explosive downfield threat.

La Canfora noted the decision whether to trade Gordon ultimately came down to owner Jimmy Haslam, whose reluctance to make a deal killed negotiations before they could ever near completion. Haslam was the "tie-breaker" vote between then-president Joe Banner, who wanted Gordon traded, and then-coach Rob Chudzinski, whose tutelage helped the troubled player become a breakout star.

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Despite playing in only 14 games due to another suspension, Gordon led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards and nine touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl. He became the first player in history with back-to-back 200 yard receiving games, setting a record with 498 yards in the two-game span.

Gordon, who was in Stage Three of the NFL's drug program, is suspended for the entire 2014 season after testing positive for marijuana. He lost an appeal of the ban last month, as an arbitrator rejected his claim of inconsistencies between the A and B sample. The former Baylor star has maintained his innocence. 

"I'd like to apologize to my teammates, coaches, the Cleveland Browns organization and our fans," Gordon said in a statement, per ESPN. "I am very disappointed that the NFL and its hearing office didn't exercise better discretion and judgment in my case."

While he's exhausted nearly all of his opportunities, a reprieve may come in the form of a new drug policy. The NFL and NFLPA have been diligently working on a new drug testing policy that features HGH testing, altered definitions of performance-enhancing and recreational drugs and a higher threshold for marijuana use. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Gordon's suspension may be overturned if the NFL decides to retroactively use the new policy in all cases for the 2014 season.

Albert Breer of NFL Network noted that Gordon's suspension may still be upheld due to the timing of his test failure:

That said, a situation like this is surely what Banner was trying to avoid when advocating for a Gordon trade. Regardless of the outcome of his current suspension, he remains in Stage Three of the drug program. Any slip-ups—no matter how major or minor—will come attached with lengthy suspensions that take the Browns' best offensive playmaker off the field.

Cleveland was a fashionable choice by some to make a leap before Gordon's suspension came to light. Instead, the Browns will open 2014 with Miles Austin and Andrew Hawkins—two players who suited up a combined 19 times last season—as their starting receivers.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

The report also sheds some more light on the internal discord that derailed Cleveland's 2013 campaign. When the Browns parted ways with coach Chudzinski after one season, it seemed like a short-sighted move. The team went 4-12 but stayed competitive down the stretch despite the NFL's worst quarterback situation and a multitude of injuries. 

In the end, nearly everyone involved with the 2013 Browns received a pink slip. Haslam fired Banner and general manager Michael Lombardi after a messy coaching search that saw the two executives bickering back and forth. Mike Pettine was hired as head coach three weeks before the front-office dismissals, and Ray Farmer was promoted to general manager.

Internal disagreements about dealing Gordon embodied the internal strife. Perhaps their inability to all get on the same page retrospectively lets Haslam off the hook for a house-cleaning that looked strange at the time.

Nonetheless, whatever trade value Gordon had in 2013 is very likely gone now. Haslam's franchise is married to Gordon and vice versa. For better or, in the case of the 2014 season, for worse.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter