Josh Gordon Rumors: Patriots Place 2nd-Round Tender on WR Amid Suspension

The New England Patriots placed an original-round tender on suspended restricted free agent wide receiver Josh Gordon on Tuesday.

According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, the Pats will receive a second-round pick if a team signs Gordon. His salary counts against the cap despite the fact that he hasn't signed with the Patriots yet:

Gordon has been serving an indefinite suspension since December after violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

The 27-year-old has been suspended six times during his NFL career, and five of those suspensions have been due to violations of the substance-abuse policy.

After appearing in one game with the Cleveland Browns last season, Gordon was dealt to New England—along with a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick—for a 2019 fifth-round pick. Before getting suspended again, Gordon appeared in 11 games for the Pats and registered 40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns as one of quarterback Tom Brady's favorite targets.

Despite getting suspended in December, the Patriots went on to win Super Bowl LIII, with Julian Edelman providing the bulk of the production at wide receiver.

Gordon missed the entire 2015 and 2016 seasons because of suspension, and from 2014 to 2017 he appeared in just 10 regular-season games for the Browns.

His best NFL season by far came in 2013, when he was named a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro after recording 87 receptions for an NFL-high 1,646 yards to go along with nine touchdowns in just 14 games.

With Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett and Cordarrelle Patterson all hitting free agency, the Patriots' receiving corps could get shaken up significantly this offseason. Aside from Edelman and the suspended Gordon, no other wideout on the roster has more than one career catch.

New England doesn't have a ton of cap room to make a splash in free agency, but it could potentially target a receiver like A.J. Brown of Ole Miss, Oklahoma's Marquise Brown or Arizona State's N'Keal Harry with the No. 32 pick in the 2019 draft.

The return of Gordon would give New England the outside threat it needs offensively. Although Gordon will be eligible to apply for reinstatement prior to the 2019 season, it isn't known if or when the NFL will allow him to return.

It is highly unlikely another team will pay the price of a second-round pick to acquire him.