Will Josh Gordon take advantage of another comeback opportunity in professional football?
Gordon will make his XFL debut Sunday for the Seattle Sea Dragons against the D.C. Defenders (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). He is one of the most recognizable names in the league’s latest reboot.
The 31-year-old is a 10-year NFL veteran who has dealt with off-the-field issues throughout his football career. He has been presented yet another chance to get back to the NFL.
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A look at Gordon’s career timeline heading into his first XFL game:
Josh Gordon college career
Gordon played at Baylor for Art Briles. He had a breakout season in 2010 with 42 catches for 714 yards (17.0 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns. He was the perfect vertical threat in the Bears’ wide-open offense.
But he also was suspended on two separate occasions by the team. He was arrested on a charge of drug possession in 2010 and failed a drug test in 2011.
Gordon told Sports Illustrated in a 2017 interview that he was involved in dealing marijuana while at Baylor. Gordon said he was “receiving as much as six pounds of weed” from a dealer and would bring “upward of $10,000 in profit every month.”
He transferred to Utah in 2011 but did not play for the Utes.
The Browns then selected Gordon in the second round of the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft.
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Josh Gordon Browns stats
Gordon’s first two seasons in the NFL were a success. He had 50 catches for 805 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, and his second season was a full-fledged breakout with 87 catches for a league-best 1,646 yards and nine TDs.
He had back-to-back 200-yard games against the Steelers (14 catches, 237 yards, one TD) and Jaguars (10 catches, 261 yards, two TDs). He was an All-Pro selection that season, too.
Former #NFL star WR Josh Gordon is now with the Seattle Sea Dragons of the #XFL
pic.twitter.com/aIwSuN27Hw— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) February 10, 2023
Despite the on-field success, Gordon was suspended multiple times, by the NFL and his team.
Josh Gordon NFL suspension history
Gordon would have had even better numbers in 2013 had not been suspended for the first two games of the season. He was suspended a second time on Aug 27, 2013, for a second violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He was arrested in North Carolina on charges of driving while impaired and had a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit.
A full-season league suspension was later reduced to 10 games by the league, and he played in five games during the 2014 season. Gordon had 24 catches for 303 yards before being suspended for the season finale for a violation of team rules.
On Feb. 3, 2015, Gordon was suspended for another full season for testing positive for alcohol.
MORE: How Gordon’s career path led him to release from Titans
He also missed the 2016 season after failing a drug test on April 16, 2016. Gordon would enter a rehab facility and make a comeback attempt in 2017, playing with the Browns into 2018.
The Browns traded Gordon to the Patriots on Sept. 17, 2018. He had 60 catches for 1,007 yards and four TDs after returning. But on Dec. 30, 2018, he was suspended again for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
He was reinstated in 2019 and claimed off waivers by the Seahawks, but he was suspended indefinitely on Dec. 16, 2019, for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Gordon was reinstated again but suspended for a sixth time on Jan. 15, 2021. He played in the Fan Controlled League with the Zappers during that suspension.
Gordon signed with the Chiefs in 2021 and played in 12 games, with one touchdown catch. He played two games with the Titans in 2022. He was released on Oct. 17, 2022. Gordon was not suspended during either stop, but he did not make a significant impact on the field.
When did Josh Gordon join the XFL?
Gordon was selected in the sixth round by the Sea Dragons in the XFL Draft. He will play for former Saints coach Jim Haslett.
Gordon is listed as the team’s No. 1 receiver, and former Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci is the team’s starting quarterback. DiNucci, Gordon and Haslett spoke with fans at Xtadium lounge in Pioneer Square in Seattle on Jan. 16.
XFL COVERAGE:
Haslett was pleased with Gordon, saying, “I can see why he was an NFL All-Pro,” according to The Seattle Times.
Gordon, meanwhile, is focused on the new opportunity and helping the team’s younger receivers.
“The goal is whatever is put in front of me in the here and now,” he said. “Whatever comes out of it at the end of it, hopefully a championship, I can’t say. But I’ve got to go with whatever opportunity is placed in front of me.”