The New England Patriots took very little risk by acquiring Josh Gordon in a trade. If things don’t work out with the troubled wide receiver, it will cost them nothing more than a fifth-round pick. Despite that, longtime NFL writer Peter King feels it is a deal that should have never been made.
In an appearance on WEEI’s “Dale & Keefe Show” Thursday, King said he was “not high on it at all” when asked about the Patriots acquiring Gordon. His reasoning has nothing to do with football.
“The history of Josh Gordon is beyond riddled with off-field issues, substance abuse, consistently letting the team down that drafted him and continually, time after time showed faith in him and brought him back – I thought it was a bad trade quite honestly,” King said.
Should Gordon suffer another relapse or fail to fulfill his responsibilities in New England, Bill Belichick won’t hesitate to cut him. Still, King feels Gordon is not the type of player a franchise like the Patriots should employ.
“The Patriots are a proud franchise, and I realize what I am saying is a little bit of idealistic crapola, but the Patriots should not be in business with Josh Gordon,” he said. “He is not worthy of this franchise.”
King isn’t the only one who feels the Patriots are straying from their principles by giving Gordon a shot. His talent is undeniable, but Gordon embarrassed the Cleveland Browns on numerous occasions. That is likely why we saw Belichick pull his Houdini act during Wednesday’s press conference when asked about his new addition.
One argument is that all of Gordon’s slip-ups have been self-inflicted. It’s one thing to sign a player like Greg Hardy who has harmed others, but Gordon has substance abuse issues and is self-destructive. If the Patriots are able to keep him off that path, his comeback story could be an inspiring one.
