NFL Free Agency: Jerome Simpson pleads guilty to felony drug charge

Two potential free agent wide receivers that the Browns could look at took hits today. DeSean Jackson was the first to drop as the Eagles placed the franchise tag on him. Then, the Bengals 4th year receiver Jerome Simpson pled guilty to a felony drug charge.

The four-year veteran is a free agent after completing his contract with the Bengals. His guilty plea could bring a suspension from the league, which would make him less attractive on the free-agent market.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an email Thursday that the case will be reviewed under the league’s substance abuse policy.

There’s the biggest question mark. The league has established a reputation over the last few years in imposing suspensions on players who commit off-the-field transgressions.  We have yet to hear the full story from Jerome Simpson’s side, but what is no longer in doubt is that Simpson received a package with approximately two pounds of marijuana from California to his home in Northern Kentucky home. The charge he pled guilty to normally carries a 60-day jail sentence.

Simpson wasn’t tops on my list of acquisition targets for the Browns anyway, but there’s no questioning that the athletic, 6’2″ wide receiver had a breakout year opposite rookie A.J. Green. Simpson caught 50 passes for 725 yards this year for the Bengals.