KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs' continuing quest for an impact wide receiver to complement Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce took an intriguing turn Monday.
The Chiefs will sign embattled former All-Pro Josh Gordon, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Former All-Pro WR Josh Gordon, who is being reinstated, is planning to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs, sources tell ESPN. His agents, Eric Dounn and Matt Leist from @LAASportsEnt, confirmed Gordon is headed to Kansas City. pic.twitter.com/nqpJXn3oni
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 27, 2021
Gordon, 30, led the NFL with 1,646 yards in 2013 during his second season with the Cleveland Browns, despite missing two games for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. That is the 15th most yards in a single season in NFL history.
He’s been suspended five times for similar violations and six times overall since being drafted with the first pick in the second round of the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
That includes season-long suspensions Gordon served for the entire 2015-16 seasons. His most recent suspension was announced in December 2019.
After applying for reinstatement in July, the NFL informed Gordon last week he would be eligible to play as early as Week 4.
Gordon, who was playing for Seattle at the time of his most recent suspension, was conditionally reinstated in December 2020, but that reinstatement was revoked in mid-January 2021.
The Seahawks cut Gordon in March.
Gordon, a native of Houston who played Baylor and Utah in college, seemingly confirmed the signing via Twitter, writing “Time to get to work” and tagging the Chiefs’ team account.
Time to get to work. 🎯 @Chiefs 🙏🏾
— Flash (@JOSH_GORDONXII) September 27, 2021
After totaling 2,451 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 30 games during his first two NFL seasons, Gordon only played 11 games from 2014 to 2018 before the Browns traded him to New England.
He was suspended after a July 2014 arrest for DWI in North Carolina, but was reinstated early after changes to the NFL’s policy.
He served a team suspension for the final game of the 2014 season
Gordon appeared in 11 games for the Patriots, totaling 720 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the team with another suspension looming late in the 2018 season.
Gordon played six games for New England and five for Seattle in 2019 before being suspended indefinitely once again under the league’s substance-abuse policy.
When he’s on the field, Gordon has been productive. He averages 67.5 yards per game and 17.2 yards per reception with 20 touchdowns in 63 career games.
It’s a gamble, but one the Chiefs feel comfortable — or desperate enough — to take after teams have successfully schemed Hill out of the game plan the last two weeks, losses at Baltimore and against the Los Angeles Chargers.
He played briefly in 2021 for the Zappers in the Fan Controlled Football league, a professional indoor football league.
While in college, Gordon was suspended and ultimately left the Baylor football program after two marijuana-related incidents. He never actually played a game for Utah, opting instead for the now-defunct Supplemental Draft.
