By now, you know the story with Josh Gordon. Phenomenal talent, but he keeps receiving suspensions from the NFL due to his inability to shake his off-the-field demons with substance abuse.
Gordon played in 11 games with the New England Patriots this past year before stepping away from the game to focus on his mental health in December, which was followed by an announcement that Gordon was hit with an indefinite ban.
The suspension for Gordon is still in effect, and on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network gave a little update on Gordon's standing with the Patriots:
Article Continues Below“Josh Gordon, I don't know. I know that for the Patriots, it's not something that they're talking about every day,” Rapoport told WEEI. “It's not a guy who's in their plans right now. I think that they would certainly welcome him back if he showed that he's going to be a better version — as a person, I'm talking about — a better version of the one they got last year. I just don't know that he's actually going to get reinstated, prove to the Patriots that he has turned the corner, that he's a different person, show that he's in the right frame of mind.”
Basically, New England isn't counting on Gordon, not just because the NFL might not even reinstate him, but because the Pats don't even know that Gordon is going to be able to ever get back on track.
It's a shame, because Gordon was productive with the Patriots in 2018, hauling in 40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns.
He actually began the year with the Cleveland Browns, playing in one game before being traded to New England.