Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson was almost able to add another weapon to the offense.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been trying to add a bonafide No. 2 wide receiver for the past two years. It turns out former Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson was almost able to make that happen a season ago.
Former All-Pro wide receiver Josh Gordon recently revealed Wilson tried to recruit him to Pittsburgh last year.
“I ended up staying in Seattle for two years and getting to meet Russell,” Gordon said on the Glory Daze podcast with Johnny Manziel. “And Russell, he even called me wanting to go. He’s like, ‘Hey man, let me see if I can get you in with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ when I was already done and out of Tennessee.”
Gordon, 34, hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2022 season, which he spent with the Tennessee Titans. It was quite the forgettable year, too, as he only appeared in two games and never recorded a statistic.
However, Gordon was once one of the best wide receivers in the league. He was selected in the second round of the 2012 Supplemental draft by the Cleveland Browns and immediately made his presence felt.
As a rookie, Gordon racked up 50 catches for 805 yards and five touchdowns. The following season, he recorded a career-high 87 catches for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns while also earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.
Gordon started getting in trouble outside of football, though. In 2013, the NFL announced that Gordon would be suspended for the first two games for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
Then in 2014, he was arrested for driving while impaired in Raleigh, North Carolina and suspended for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy once again, but this time for 10 games.
Gordon was again suspended in 2015, but for the entire season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He applied for reinstatement in 2016 and 2017 but was denied on both occasions.
He was finally reinstated on a conditional basis late into the 2017 season and later traded to the New England Patriots in 2018.
Gordon’s time in New England didn’t last very long, however, as he announced that he was stepping away from football to focus on his mental health. The Patriots won Super Bowl LIII that season, but Gordon still received a ring for his earlier contributions to the team.
He was waived by New England in 2019 and claimed by the Seattle Seahawks. Gordon re-signed with the Seahawks in 2020 after becoming a free agent, but he was released after breaking the terms of his conditional reinstatement.
Gordon then signed with the FCF Zappers of the Fan Controlled Football League while being suspended from the NFL. He was reinstated at the beginning of the 2021 season and signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad.
He was eventually signed to the Chiefs active roster and appeared in 12 games, registering five catches for 32 yards and a touchdown.
It...
