The New York Giants Should Trade for Josh Gordon

The time for the New York Giants to take a risk and go after Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is now.

The New York Giants taking a chance on a project such as Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is an idea that would have been considered downright silly as recently as this past fall, and not just because Gordon was still under an indefinite suspension at the time. New York general manager Jerry Reese has, in the past, stayed away from troubled young players such as Gordon.

Remember, also, that Reese and the Giants were burned by Plaxico Burress in the fall of 2008.

Ed Valentine of SB Nation blog Big Blue View was asked about the Giants possibly pursuing Gordon at some point during the offseason. Valentine, as you’ll see, is not a fan of the idea.

"“You’re kidding, right? Reese and the Giants always do their due diligence on every player, but I’d say there is roughly a zero percent chance Gordon would be a Giant. If he is reinstated by the NFL and then released by the Cleveland Browns, someone will take a chance. Why, though, would the Giants be that team? After what they went through with Will Hill, I can’t see it. Not to mention handing a player with a troubled past to a first-year coach like Ben McAdoo is not a good idea. This is a much longer answer than I intended to give for a scenario I see as having no chance of occurring.”"

With all due respect to Mr. Valentine, I not only disagree with the idea that the Giants should not reach out to Gordon if the Browns cut ties with the play-maker. I believe that the Giants should try to trade for Gordon if he is reinstated by the National Football League.

Before any fan of the Giants responds with any hot take about the matter, it should be pointed out that no intelligent person should, for a second, believe that the Giants should offer a first-round pick for Gordon. Even if Gordon is reinstated, he will still be on off-the-field miscue away from once again being banned, this time likely for good. No team, not the Giants or any other side, can risk a No. 10 overall draft pick for any player with Gordon’s resume regardless of the player’s talent.

A second-round pick for Gordon, though, should not be out of the question, and it could be enough to make the Browns consider parting ways with the wide receiver.

It has been over two and a half years since Gordon was, for a time, the best wide receiver in the NFL and maybe the best overall offensive weapon in the league. Gordon was once-in-a-generation special during portions of the 2013 regular season, and he was rightfully named to the Pro Bowl for his play that year. That was also the last time that Gordon was truly a full-time NFL player. Gordon has since only played in five regular season contests, and each of those games took place in 2014.

Nov 23, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon (12) shakes hands with quarterback Brian Hoyer (6) prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Gordon may never again be the player of old. It is, after all, difficult for any athlete, regardless of his talent and natural ability, to remain in “NFL shape” when he has been away from the game and from a team for over a year as has Gordon. A version of Gordon who is at 80 percent of what he was in 2013 when he was playing with mediocre talent at QB could still possibly be the best No. 2 WR in the NFL, which is more than what the Giants need because of who is atop the team’s depth chart at the position.

Odell Beckham Jr., as explained by Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, had maybe the best first two years of a NFL career that we have seen from any WR and maybe from any offensive player. Beckham achieved that without the Giants having another great talent at the position. Rueben Randle was solid in 2014, and he found the end zone eight times in 2015. Randle was also so disappointing last season that it is widely believed the Giants will allow him to leave the team via free agency next month.

Beckham and Gordon could be the top one-two punch in any NFL offense let alone on one that has a quarterback who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame not too long after he retires. Eli Manning has been a tremendous positive for Beckham since the two were first able to play against NFL defenses in October 2014. Imagine what Manning could do for and mean for Gordon if the two were able to work together during even one training camp, one preseason and one regular season.

Manning has been a mainstay of the New York offense since November 2004, and he has not missed a single start since first being inserted into the starting lineup of the Giants. Manning also turned 35-years-old in January 2016. History tells us that age and over a decade’s worth of playing pro football is going to catch up with Manning sooner than later, perhaps as quickly as next fall.

Manning’s window to win a third Super Bowl is closing, and thus the time for the Giants to take a chance on somebody such as Gordon is now.

More from NFL Spin Zone

The Giants hold overall pick No. 40 0f the 2016 NFL Draft. Odds are that the Giants are not going to find Josh Gordon 2.0 with that selection. Why, with Manning about to enter the twilight of what has been a spectacular career, shouldn’t the Giants see if the Browns would be interested in such a deal? New York would, at worst, lose a second round pick on a player who didn’t work out.

No big loss there.

Would the Browns be willing to accept such a trade? Possibly. That deal would give new Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson and a new front office of the Browns, individuals who never picked Gordon and who have never had a relationship with the WR, three draft picks between selections No. 2 and No. 40.

What new leadership group looking to build its own foundation of young talent wouldn’t be intrigued to have that many high picks available when the player on the table is one who has yet to prove that he can remain an eligible NFL player for a lengthy period of time?

More nfl spin zone: Are the Browns Close to Winning a Super Bowl?

Some may say that the Giants trading pick No. 40 for Gordon would be a high-risk, high-reward transaction. Every year that the Giants fail to win a Super Bowl with Manning on the roster is a wasted season, which is why the Giants need to pull the trigger and, at the very least, see if the Browns would be willing to negotiate for Gordon.

A trade could benefit the Browns and the Giants in the long run.

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