NEW ORLEANS -- The Saturday night news on Josh Gordon's planned release from the Cleveland Browns sent shockwaves around the league.
Less than 24 hours later and following a loss to the Saints, Gordon's soon-to-be former teammates were left absorbing the situation.
Wide receiver Jarvis Landry declined to discuss it, but others expressed surprise when they heard the news.
"Nobody was expecting that," defensive end Myles Garrett said. "You walk in and hear that, that's big news."
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi echoed Garrett.
"It was kind of like shocking because you don't really expect that, especially so sudden, especially the day before a game," Ogunjobi said. "That's a tough decision."
The Browns' plan to release Gordon came on the heels of him missing a team meeting Saturday, and Cleveland could eventually trade him before cutting him loose without getting anything in return.
Despite being a third-year pro, Gordon would be released as a vested veteran because of his accrued seasons, meaning he would not go through the waiver process and could sign immediately with another team.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson said after the game that he addressed the players Saturday night and let them know the team was going in a different direction with Gordon.
Jackson believed the honest approach with the players proved the correct course of action and he's not worried about having a split locker room because the coach said the Browns have strong leadership among the veterans.
"I always talk to the team in those situations," Jackson said. "I've always been honest and up front with our guys about what we're doing as an organization. I think that's the way it should it be; they should know.
"I told them last night. Nobody flinched, they understood it. Again, we wish Josh well on his journey and we all love and respect Josh, but we had to do what we felt we had to do as an organization."
Whatever happens with Gordon in the next 24 hours, he is set to end his run with the Browns as a talented receiver who didn't put it all together on the field since entering the league in 2012 as a supplemental draft pick.
While he has 180 career catches for 3,106 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging a healthy 17.3 yards per catch, Gordon's time in Cleveland was mired by multiple suspensions for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. He did not play in 2015 and 2016, but returned in November 2017 on a conditional reinstatement.
Meanwhile, Garrett said he plans to reach out to Gordon to wish him well. But the second-year defensive end understands what the NFL is all about when it comes to personnel decisions regardless of talent level.
Now, the Browns have to collect themselves and move on.
"It's a business," Garrett said. "It's one of your family members, but at the end of the day you got to have a short memory in the NFL. He was part of it and now somebody else will fill that role whether it's a guy that's here or somebody they're going to bring in. But you still got to win at the end of the day no matter what the odds are."
