Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has been released from inpatient rehabilitation, a person familiar with the situation confirmed Sunday.
ESPN reported Gordon was released last week from a facility in New Hampshire where he spent 30 days.
The Browns plan to part with Gordon. They would prefer to trade him and are allowed to do so under NFL rules, even though he remains indefinitely suspended by the league with no indication when he'll be reinstated by the Commissioner Roger Goodell. Still, it'll probably be difficult to find a trade partner considering Gordon's status. The NFL trade deadline is 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Gordon was on the brink of returning from a four-game suspension to play for the Browns Oct. 9 against the New England Patriots when he announced Sept. 29 he would instead enter rehab.
The Browns' new regime decided it was done with Gordon, who's been suspended for 35 of the past 40 games because of recurring violation's of the NFL's substance-abuse policy.
"I think what we need to do is just close that chapter right now," Browns coach Hue Jackson said Sept. 30. "He’s doing what he needs to do, and we need to do what we need to do, which is continue to move forward.
"Obviously, Josh is not here and doing what he thinks he needs to do for his life, which we support 100 percent. And I think after today, today is really the last Josh Gordon comment I want to make about that. I think what’s best for our football team is that we move forward and move on. He’s not going to be with us, and we wish him well. But we’re moving forward. We’re going to move on."
Two-time Pro Bowl corrnerback Joe Haden and nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas also have reportedly been mentioned in trade talks. Last week, Jackson said the Browns won't trade Thomas, and Thomas said he hopes that holds true.