The NFL just announced that receiver Josh Gordon will be allowed to rejoin the Patriots on Sunday.
Their release:
Commissioner ROGER GOODELL notified JOSH GORDON of the New England Patriots that he will be reinstated to the NFL on a conditional basis.
Effective Sunday, Gordon may rejoin the Patriots to attend meetings and engage in conditioning work and individual workouts.
Subject to appropriate progress on clinical care and other arrangements, he will be permitted to participate in team activities including practice. Because he will not have had sufficient conditioning and practice time, however, he may attend but may not play in the Patriots' Thursday, August 22 game.
"We are all rooting for Josh to succeed, both personally and professionally," said Goodell. "Everyone shares in that hope and will continue to support him to every extent possible. But as Josh acknowledged, ultimately his success is up to him."
Gordon had been suspended indefinitely since December of 2018 for violations of the NFL-NFLPA Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.
I’m sticking with my preseason prediction: Gordon will be reinstated after the third preseason game.
Production: Gordon wasn’t dominating. He didn’t keep defensive coordinators up nights like Randy Moss, and he wasn’t a difference-maker — the Patriots were just 6-3 in games he played at least 48 snaps. But Gordon was productive. He led the team with an 18.0 yards-per-catch average — the second-highest for a Patriots receiver in the Bill Belichick era (David Patten, 18.2, 2004) with at least 40 catches — in just 11 games before he was suspended again. Gordon did have the highest drop rate on the team (five in 64 targets), but he also led the team (among all positions) with 2.15 yards per target, according to ProFootballFocus.com.
Fit: It took him some time to really get involved in the offense, but on and off the field, things seemed to be going well at the time of his suspension. The team was extra careful with how they handled him, but his teammates, including Tom Brady, talked glowingly about his work ethic and ability. And the fact that the team will give him a Super Bowl ring (they did same with the short-lived MichaelFloyd) speaks to his standing with the team.
Risk: If New England wasn’t coming off a Super Bowl title, things would likely be different. But since the Patriots endured basically the worst-case scenario in the Gordon experience — having him suspended right before the playoffs — and still won the title has to lessen any thoughts about the impact of another relapse. This could be fool’s gold — the Patriots might have just been fortunate last season, considering the Super Bowl opponent — but the fact that they were able to go into Kansas City and outscore the Chiefs … that has to bode well.
Cost: So far, the Patriots traded a fifth-round pick and received a seventh in return for 11 games worth of Gordon. Let’s just call it a sixth-round pick. It’s an OK return, but it’s not a no-brainer considering the four years and control of a draft pick. And don’t minimize fifth-round picks. Ja’Whaun Bentley was taken there. So was Marcus Cannon and Matthew Slater. It’s not insignificant, especially for just 11 games that ultimately didn’t matter to the team’s success.
But if Gordon is reinstated at some point, then the risk is minimized to almost nothing.
