Following a nearly three-year absence in the NFL, wide receiver Josh Gordon made his return to the field with the Cleveland Browns late in the second half of the 2017 season.This has apparently murky up his contract situation with the Browns given that he had missed a sizeable chunk of that time due to an indefinite suspension by the league for violating its substance abuse policy multiple times.

Initially, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk attempted to get clarity on the matter on Wednesday getting the response that Gordon would be a restricted free agent. However, Gordon only took the field for five games last season, which has pushed him to become an exclusive right free agent that would only grant him the ability to re-sign with the Browns in order to stay in the NFL This was something that was confirmed by Dan Graziano of ESPN.

Josh Gordon, Browns
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All of this pigeon holes Gordon into a situation where the Browns possess the ultimate control of his NFL future. The team can offer him any type of deal, which he has no power in determining how he makes other than countering with the notion that he will not play. If he were to go that route, it could easily backfire with Cleveland electing to allow him to step away.

That said, there shouldn't be much of an issue of getting Gordon under a new deal given his desire to play in the NFL, and likely gratitude to the Browns for allowing him to continue his career after being out of the league for near three seasons. The 26-year-old was able to show that he is still a highly talented player making 18 catches on 43 targets for 335 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Ultimately, Gordon's NFL future lies in the hands of the Browns' front office. If the team values him, this should be a quick process of bringing back aboard one of their most talented players for at least the 2018 season.