NFL PLAYER NEWS

Suspended Gordon inks contract tender with Pats

Field Level Media

April 24, 2019 at 12:03 am.

Although Josh Gordon is still suspended indefinitely by the NFL, the wide receiver signed his restricted free agent tender with the New England Patriots, according to multiple media reports on Tuesday.

By signing the contract tender, Gordon ensures that if he becomes eligible to play at any point this coming season, it will be with the Patriots. The 28-year-old is set to earn up to $2,025,000 on the one-year deal, but only if he plays all 16 games.

Gordon had his season cut short last year after playing 11 games for the Patriots when the league issued his indefinite suspension in December for violating his conditional reinstatement under the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

The NFL has yet to announce if Gordon’s suspension will carry over into the 2019 season, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell addressed Gordon’s situation at the annual league meeting in March.

“The first thing right now is the focus on Josh himself as a young man and what he needs to do to get his life on the right track,” Goodell said.

“That’s what our focus is. We have resources supporting that. That’s our hope — to make sure he gets on the right track. Once he gets on the right track, we’ll get to that place (of suspension discussion). I think right now, he’s had a complete focus on, ‘I’ve got to keep myself off the field in the right place before I can get back on the field.'”

Gordon was set to be a free agent this offseason until New England placed a restricted tender on him in March. The second-round tender meant the Patriots would have received a second-round pick as compensation if any team had signed him away.

Gordon played one game for the Cleveland Browns last year before being traded to New England in September. In 12 games last season, he caught 41 passes for 737 yards and four touchdowns.

After breaking into the NFL with the Browns in 2012 and making the Pro Bowl after the 2013 season, Gordon missed the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons due to suspensions related to substance abuse.

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