Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes ‘excited’ about addition of receiver Josh Gordon
The Chiefs made an addition to their practice squad this week and are not planning an extended stay for him there.
Reaching a contract agreement with recently reinstated wide receiver Josh Gordon, the Chiefs are betting that the once-dominant pass-catcher will provide yet another top-end target for Patrick Mahomes.
Gordon first needs to learn the complex Chiefs offense and prove himself still able to compete before the team would consider adding him to their active 53-man roster, but Mahomes talked Wednesday about his excitement to have Gordon in Chiefs red.
“We like bringing in good football players,” Mahomes said of Gordon, who has been out of the league since 2019 and has a history of substance-abuse suspensions that all involved hope he’s moved beyond.
“It was a heck of an opportunity to bring him in here, involve him in that receiver room, and he’ll have his role. He’s a great football player. In this offense everybody gets a chance to make plays.”
What makes Gordon different? For starters, he’s a solid 6-foot-3. The Chiefs’ top wide receivers are both listed at 5-10: Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman.
“He’s a big receiver, and even when he’s covered, he’s not covered,” Mahomes said. “I’m excited to work with him.”
Hill had a huge game in the opener against the Cleveland Browns, with 197 receiving yards, but there wasn’t a 100-yard game for a Chiefs receiver in losses to Baltimore and the L.A. Chargers. The Chiefs have been in search of another wide receiver since losing Sammy Watkins to free agency — he signed with the Ravens after last season.
Hill, with 267 yards, trails only tight end Travis Kelce (289) for the team lead. Hardman ranks third with 107 yards.
Gordon, 30, whose reinstatement was approved by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday, was contacted by multiple teams. He was suspended indefinitely in December 2019 for violations of the league’s policies on substance abuse and performance-enhancing substances. That was Gordon’s sixth suspension since 2013.
“He’s worked hard on his situation, making sure it was right, and was reinstated by the league, which was an important step,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “So we welcome him aboard. He’ll be working with the practice squad and we’ll see where he’s at football-wise. Nothing immediate, but we’ll see what he can do and take it from there.”
Gordon entered the NFL in 2012 with the Cleveland Browns and turned in a dominating second season, leading the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards on 87 catches and nine touchdowns.
Gordon played 17 games with the New England Patriots in 2018 and 2019 and five with the Seattle Seahawks in 2019.
His most recent NFL suspension was issued in January for breaking the teams of his reinstatement agreement.
“The league understands he’s a good guy,” Reid said. “He’s had issues and he’s working on that. Everybody deserves an opportunity to at least do the right thing.”
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 12:44 PM.