Wide receiver Josh Gordon intends to play in 2020 as he works his way back from indefinite suspension, according to a source.
Commissioner Roger Goodell will oversee Gordon’s reinstatement attempt, during which the player must prove he’s making steady progress away from the field.
Gordon, who played for the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks last season, was suspended Dec. 16 for violating the NFL’s policies on performance-enhancing substances and substances of abuse, his sixth NFL suspension since the 2013 season.
If reinstated, Gordon would become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career. He played 2019 on a one-year deal as a restricted free agent.
Gordon, 28, is beholden to the old rules for reinstatement despite the more lenient drug policy under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, which the players’ union ratified Sunday.
Gordon had seven catches for 139 yards in five games as Seattle’s No. 3 receiver. The Seahawks enjoyed having the talented Gordon, who registered 1,646 receiving yards in 2013 but was out of the league in 2015 and 2016.
“We saw Josh really at a really high level the whole time he was here,” coach Pete Carroll said on the day Gordon’s suspension came down. “The work ethic he brought was one, but his getting along with people and being good to work with and to talk to and all that and to deal with on a regular basis, really, he was great. So we were not aware that there was anything to be concerned about, other than the history, which we knew about.”
ESPN’s Brady Henderson contributed to this report