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In the early hours on the second day of free agency, Ben Violin of the Boston Globe reported that the Patriots tendered restricted free agent Josh Gordon, offering him the low restricted tender. Gordon had an up and down 2018 season which saw him steadily develop into one of the Patriots most reliable receiving options before stepping down to focus on his mental health.
Suspended for the better part of four seasons, Gordon flashed immense potential to NFL fans during his breakout 1,600-yard sophomore campaign and is universally regarded as one of the NFL’s biggest “what if” stories. Unable to remain on the field for longer than five games in a season prior to being traded to New England, Gordon saw himself suit up in 12 games and post a very efficient 737 yards on the season.
Josh Gordon Reportedly Working Hard Towards Patriots Comeback
Despite stepping away to focus on his mental health last year, Gordon has been working out hard and is looking to make a return and contribute to the Patriots. The Patriots clearly believe in him as Bill Belichick has a notoriously short leash and has iced players out who he feels are a detriment to the locker room. By all accounts, Gordon is a hard worker and great teammate but just happens to struggle with personal demons that have inhibited his ability to stay on the field.
At his best, Gordon has shown to be a game-breaking talent and with Rob Gronkowski getting more banged up every year, the Pats need another reliable receiving option they can turn to. Especially on such a team friendly deal, should Gordon come back and finally put together a complete season for the Patriots, he could be one of the best value deals of the year in a
landslide.
Patriots Update WR Depth Chart & Josh Gordon Contract
Godon’s low restricted tender is worth $2.025 million and offers the Patriots a low-risk, high reward reclamation project. With the announcement of Gordon’s return, the Patriots add a valuable piece to an extremely depleted corp of wide receivers. Phillip Dorsett had his option declined while Chris Hogan and Cordarrelle Patterson are both free agents and uncertain to return. The only receiver to see significant time last season coming back is Julian Edelman, so resigning Gordon for a cheap price was essential in beginning to build back up depth at the position.
It remains to be seen if the Patriots would be willing to bring back Hogan after a disappointing season, but will likely be active in both free agency and the NFL draft in order to help fill out the gaping void. If Gordon is healthy and good to go come week one, expect him to have a huge role in helping to stretch the field and offer Gronk more opportunities for single-coverage.
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