Josh Gordon career timeline: How ex-Browns star landed with XFL’s Sea Dragons after latest NFL comeback

Will Josh Gordon take another comeback opportunity in pro football?

Gordon will make his XFL debut for the Seattle Sea Dragons against the DC Defenders on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). He’s one of the most recognizable names in the league’s last restart.

The 31-year-old is a 10-year NFL veteran who has dealt with off-field issues throughout his football career. He was offered another chance to return to the NFL.

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A look at Gordon’s career timeline toward his first XFL game:

College Career of Josh Gordon

Gordon played at Baylor for Art Briles. He had a breakout season in 2010 with 42 catches for 714 yards (17.0 yards per reception) and seven touchdowns. He was the perfect vertical threat in the Bears’ open offense.

But he was also banned twice by the team. He was arrested for drug possession in 2010 and failed a drug test in 2011.

Gordon told Sports Illustrated in a 2017 interview that he was involved in the marijuana trade while at Baylor. Gordon said he “gets up to six pounds of weed” from a dealer and “makes over $10,000 in profits every month.”

He transferred to Utah in 2011 but did not play for the Utes.

The Browns then selected Gordon in the second round of the 2012 NFL Supplemental Draft.

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Josh Gordon Browns stats

Gordon’s first two seasons in the NFL were successful. He had 50 catches for 805 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie, and his sophomore season was a full-fledged breakthrough with 87 catches for a league-best 1,646 yards and nine TDs.

He had back-to-back 200-yard games against the Steelers (14 catches, 237 yards, one TD) and the Jaguars (10 catches, 261 yards, two TDs). He was an All-Pro selection that season as well.

Despite success on the field, Gordon has received multiple suspensions from the NFL and his team.

Josh Gordon NFL Suspension History

Gordon would have had even better numbers in 2013 had he not been suspended for the first two games of the season. He was suspended a second time on August 27, 2013 for a second violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He was arrested in North Carolina on charges of impaired driving and had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit.

A season-long league suspension was later reduced to 10 games by the league, and he played in five games in the 2014 season. Gordon had 24 catches for 303 yards before being suspended for the season finale for a team rule violation.

On February 3, 2015, Gordon was suspended for another full season for testing positive for alcohol.

MORE: How Gordon’s career path led to him getting fired from Titans

He also missed the 2016 season after failing a drug test on April 16, 2016. Gordon would enter a rehab facility and attempt a comeback in 2017, playing with the Browns through 2018.

The Browns traded Gordon to the Patriots on September 17, 2018. He had 60 catches for 1,007 yards and four TDs on his return. But on December 30, 2018, he was suspended again for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

He was reinstated in 2019 and requested waivers from the Seahawks, but was suspended indefinitely on December 16, 2019 for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy.

Gordon was reinstated but suspended for a sixth time on January 15, 2021. During this suspension he played in the Fan Controlled League with the Zappers.

Gordon signed with the Chiefs in 2021 and played in 12 games with one touchdown catch. He played two games with the Titans in 2022. He was released on October 17, 2022. Gordon was not suspended at either stop, but he didn’t make a significant impact on the field.

When did Josh Gordon join the XFL?

Gordon was selected in the sixth round by the Sea Dragons in the XFL Draft. He will play for former Saints coach Jim Haslett.

Gordon is listed as the team’s #1 receiver, and former Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci is the team’s starting quarterback. DiNucci, Gordon and Haslett spoke to fans at the Xtadium Lounge in Pioneer Square in Seattle on January 16th.

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Haslett was pleased with Gordon, saying, “I can see why he was an NFL All-Pro,” according to the Seattle Times.

Gordon, meanwhile, focuses on the new opportunity and helps the team’s younger receivers.

“The goal is what is presented to me in the here and now,” he said. “I can’t say what the outcome will be, hopefully a championship, but I have to take every opportunity that comes my way.”