Josh Gordon: The Best Receiver That Never Was

The best receiver that never was - that’s Josh Gordon. 

He had all the physical traits as a rookie out of Baylor; 6’3” 240 lbs. with a 35 inch vertical. Fast and strong, talent out the roof, and it certainly showed up during his rookie season. In Gordon’s first year as an NFL second-round pick for the Browns, he posted 50 catches, 805 yards, and 5 TD’s. An encouraging start for the young stud WR and plenty of reason to be excited about his future. Then came the offseason announcement that he would be suspended the first two games of 2013 for violating the league’s “substance abuse” policy. 

Gordon served his two game suspension then put together an historic season - he set 5 Browns franchise records as a rookie, logged 1,646 receiving yards, and was named first-team All Pro. He set an NFL record for most consecutive games with 200+ receiving yards, logging 237 and 261 yards in back to back games.

This isn’t me saying that what he did was okay and that he didn’t have issues. He clearly struggled with some things and even with clear requirements laid out before him, he couldn’t obey the laws of his employer. I think marijuana, generally, isn’t problematic as long as you’re not under the influence on the job or behind the wheel. There’s a level of a common-sense approach that has to be taken and these are obviously dealbreakers. I personally believe it’s a worthy alternative to opioids (and maybe benzodiazepines) if it’s prescribed and treated the same as anything else, but this is something the league blackballed, even in patient specific situations. Only pills or Toradol injections, no weed allowed in the NFL! 

If you missed it, this week Aaron Rodgers continued his tell-all and went on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Among other things, he told a story about a time that he played a full game on Percocet. If you’re not familiar, this pain medication is just one facet of the opioid epidemic that America still struggles with. Unfortunately, it’s a widely prescribed solution for pain, especially in the NFL. This article outlines the misuse of pain medications by league doctors. At the least, players were (are?) receiving doses of Toradol - a non-opioid pain medication - sometimes even on game day. Suffice it to say, the NFL has a drug problem, and it’s hardly weed. 

In 2014, Gordon was arrested for driving while impaired. Subsequently suspended the full 2014 season, there was a new league policy and he was able to get that reduced to 10 games. The Browns also suspended him the final game of the season for violating team rules. He played in only 5 games that season. 

He was suspended all of 2015.

From there, it’s been a series of attempted comebacks, rehab stints, requests for reinstatement to the league, and relapses that’s finally led us to here. Today he was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s 31 years old and the best years of his career were spent suspended and/or struggling to adhere to league policies. I find it hard not to pull for Josh Gordon, and I hope he lands with a team where he can fit in and provide quality reps.

It’s hard not to take notice of the league’s inconsistency with punishments and suspensions. With Josh Gordon’s career derailed by weed and the suspensions associated with it, it feels at times as though the league makes special exceptions. Matt Araiza was released from the Bills this week amid heinous sexual abuse allegations, but would the league have slow played it if he was a highly touted QB? Remember, Deshaun Watson was accused by dozens of sexual misconduct and is not only still in the league, but got a glorified slap on the wrist and a new contract from the Browns. 

It’s a shame that the NFL did Josh Gordon no favors and made an example of him. It’s a shame that he was unable to resolve the issues he faced internally and reach his full potential as a player. The NFL is a meat market and if you can’t play by their rules, you’ll have to figure out an alternate career path and Josh Gordon’s propensity for smoking the devil’s lettuce landed him in hot water more often than not. He knew the rules and still chose to test the limits, which is solely on him. If only he would’ve complied and taken the pain meds like the team doctors told him to!