The Patriots threw out a low-risk, high-reward bet in September. To try to boost their beleaguered receiving corps, they shipped a fifth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for former All-Pro Josh Gordon and a seventh-rounder.
Josh Gordon will get a championship ring after the Patriots won Super Bowl 53
Gordon’s 11 games in Foxborough were enough to make him a permanent part of the 2018 roster.
Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images
For 11 weeks, the move paid off dividends. Gordon was a field-stretching threat who opened up passing routes for the rest of New England’s receivers. He also proved to be a productive, Pro Bowl-caliber target; his 40 catches for 720 yards as a Patriots receiver put him on pace for a 58-catch, 1,047-yard 16-game season while averaging a whopping 18.0 yards per catch.
His tenure in New England ended with an abrupt leave of absence and another violation of the league’s substance abuse policy, but that doesn’t mean he’s not officially a member of the Patriots. Now that New England has won Super Bowl 53, he’ll receive a championship ring like all the rest of the current members of the organization.
Gordon even celebrated with an Instagram post:
Gordon reportedly watched the Super Bowl from a treatment facility in Florida, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. His football future is in doubt, but Rapoport said that Gordon is hoping to be reinstated by the NFL.
The league is trying to support Gordon during his indeterminate break from football
New England attempted to pay for Gordon’s treatment program while he spent time away from the team, according to NESN’s Doug Kyed. However, those plans were rebuffed by the league’s substance abuse policy, which diverts funds from fines and suspensions to fund these programs. As NFLPA guidelines point out, “payment for treatment services rendered to players participating in the Intervention Program shall be governed by the terms and conditions set forth in the NFL Player Insurance Plan.”
He’s got support in other high places across the league. “Right now the focus is what can we do to help Josh to get to that place [where he can play football],” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said at his pre-Super Bowl press conference.
His New England teammates have been on his side even after after his suspension, which sources told Kyed was due to a diluted sample during the league’s drug testing protocol.
“He’s a really good person,’’ Patriots wide receiver Phillip Dorsett said during the run-up to the Super Bowl. “We got really close during his time. I mean, it’s hard to not be close to a player. We see these guys every day. We see these guys more than we see our wives sometimes. So, it’s hard to not be close to a player.’’
“It was just unfortunate how things went down and what happened,’’ Chris Hogan added. “All I can say is Josh is a great teammate. He worked really hard from the second that he got there. You could tell how hard he wanted it. You could tell how much enjoyed playing this game.’’
The club followed through with that support by earning him a Super Bowl ring for his 2018 efforts — even if he has yet to play in the postseason in a seven-year career.
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