Josh Gordon is back. Again….again.
The 30-year-old wide receiver is being reinstated by the NFL following his latest indefinite suspension, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter says that Gordon is expected to be eligible to play for an NFL team as soon as Week 4 (next week).
Gordon’s latest suspension stems from January when the NFL rescinded his conditional reinstatement from his previous suspension when they determined he had broken the terms. At the time, Gordon had been suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs and substance abuse, his fifth-such suspension. Gordon has struggled with drug addiction and other issues for many years.
“We are grateful that the NFL appreciates the work that Josh put in and now he has earned another opportunity to be part of this league,” said Gordon’s agent, Zac Hiller, via Schefter. “We are proud of Josh, and I know all the fans can’t wait to see him on Sundays.”
Gordon hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2019 when he spent six games with the New England Patriots and five games with the Seattle Seahawks. He was set to rejoin the Seahawks in 2020 when his latest indefinite suspension went into place.
While Gordon certainly brings a lot of baggage and a history of relapsing with him, NFL teams are still likely to kick the tires on the guy who led the league with 1,646 receiving yards in 14 games in 2013. Over the course of his career, Gordon has caught 247 passes for 4,252 yards with 20 touchdowns.
Still, plenty of NFL fans and media folks are pretty wary of Gordon’s long-term ability to play and pretty much all had the same reaction to the news that he would be eligible to play once more. For now.
As far as which NFL team might sign Gordon, there were plenty of opinions about that as well.
I could see the Seahawks after trying to make this work twice moving on but the Seahawks are definitely entertaining bringing Josh Gordon back for a third time. https://t.co/nNF47Ax1Qe
— Jake Heaps (@jtheaps9) September 24, 2021
We’ll see who takes a chance on Gordon this time and, hopefully, he can make things work this time around.