Hours after the New England Patriots cut wide receiver Josh Gordon, he was claimed by the Seattle Seahawks from the waiver wire. Earlier, the Patriots placed Gordon on injured reserve due to a leg injury, giving the team no choice as they can only activate two players from IR. The Patriots used one on rookie wide receiver N’Keal Harry, who was activated on Saturday, and the other one on offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn. This season, Gordon caught 20 passes for 287 yards and a touchdown in six games with the Patriots. In his two seasons in New England, Gordon recorded 60 catches for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns in 17 games.
Even though he was suspended indefinitely late last season, Gordon earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of New England's Super Bowl LIII champion squad. Several former Patriots teammates took to social media to wish Gordon well as he joins his third NFL team since he was drafted in the second round of the NFL Supplemental Draft.
Gordon begins new journey with Seahawks
When Gordon posted a photo of himself, on Instagram, wearing a Seahawks uniform with the caption “The journey has just begun," among those who commented were linebacker Dont’a Hightower, safeties Devin McCourty and Duron Harmon, and cornerbacks Jason McCourty and J.C. Jackson. They wished the wide receiver well on his next journey.
The McCourty twins commented: “Yessir! Good luck out there bro! Go BALL!!!” while Harmon said “Ball my brotha!!!. Jackson and Hightower posted emoji comments in support of Gordon. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will have a new target in Gordon, who has recorded 240 catches for 4,113 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career.
Seahawks last chance for Gordon?
However, Gordon’s promising NFL career suffered several setbacks as he was suspended several times for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Late last season, he was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating the terms of his previous reinstatement. Fortunately, the Patriots gave Gordon another chance as they placed a second-round tender on him.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Gordon is in a make-or-break scenario in Seattle as the Seahawks were the only squad that took a chance on him in the waiver wire. Rapoport said the Seahawks were No. 28 on the waiver wire. According to Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports, the Patriots released Gordon after he had displayed signs of “undependability” as he was late for several meetings, aside from his lack of production on the field. Before Gordon was placed on IR, the Patriots acquired veteran wide receiver Mohamed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons for a 2020 second-round pick. The Patriots also welcomed the return of Harry, who is expected to play on Sunday when they take on the Baltimore Ravens. The Patriots need all the weapons they can get as they are a slight four-point favorite over the Ravens.