Getty Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon is now a free agent.
A former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver is officially a free agent.
Josh Gordon, who played with the Seahawks during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, has been released by the Tennessee Titans. The Titans released the 31-year-old receiver from their practice squad on Monday, August 17, as reported by ESPN’s Turron Davenport.
“The Tennessee Titans released veteran wide receiver Josh Gordon from their practice squad on Monday,” said Davenport. “Gordon was signed to Tennessee’s practice squad in September after being released by the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Gordon Bouncing Around From Team to Team
The former Pro Bowl receiver appeared in just two games and 22 offensive snaps for the Titans since he was signed. However, he did not post a single statistic during those two appearances.
The veteran receiver has had difficulty sticking with one team in recent seasons. In fact, he’s had difficulty contributing in recent years. Gordon spent the 2021 season with the Kansas City Chiefs, catching just five passes for 32 yards and one touchdown in 12 games and seven starts.
Prior to his stint with the Chiefs, Gordon appeared in five games with the Seahawks back in 2019. However, he failed to make an impact, catching just seven passes for 139 yards. He was suspended late during the 2019 season as a member of Seattle and was suspended indefinitely again in January of 2021.
As Davenport notes, Gordon has been suspended by the NFL a total of six times, with five of those due to some form of substance abuse.
“Since then, Gordon has been suspended by the NFL six times, five for some form of substance abuse, according to ESPN Stats & Information research,” said Davenport. “From 2014 to 2020, Gordon missed three full seasons while suspended.”
Gordon’s Best Years Are Likely Behind Him
The last time Gordon has played a sizable role in a team’s offense was as a member of the New England Patriots. In 11 games with the Patriots during the 2018 season, he caught 40 passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns. He actually led the team in yards per reception (18.0) and ranked second in receiving yards per game (65.5 yards) in that season. However, he stepped away from the team before the end of the year to focus on his mental health
After once again beginning the 2019 season as a starting receiver on the Patriots, Gordon suffered a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve after just six games.
In the early portion of his career, Gordon flashed his potential as a member of the Cleveland Browns. The former second-round draft pick caught 87 passes for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns during his lone Pro Bowl season back in 2013. However, he was suspended for the first time for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy during the 2014 season.
Gordon has missed three full seasons of his NFL career (2015, 2016 and 2020) due to suspension.
While some may believe this is the end of Gordon’s career, many thought the same thing in prior years when he was suspended. Gordon has now played for five different NFL teams despite playing just 77 games in his career.
Considering each NFL team can feature up to 16 players on a practice squad these days, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Gordon were to latch on to another receiver-needy franchise.