Report: Patriots could release Josh Gordon after placing him on IR

The New England Patriots made the surprising move to place star receiver Josh Gordon on injured reserve Wednesday.

Gordon missed Monday night’s blowout win over the New York Jets due to injuries to both his knee and ankle. However, the injuries themselves did not seem too severe.

Now comes this report from Mike Garafolo of NFL Media indicating that Gordon believes he’s close to return. The report notes that he could soon become a free agent, meaning the Pats would likely release Gordon off the IR list.

Josh Gordon believes he’s close to returning to play, source says. So his IR designation today means he’s likely done with the #Patriots but could be available for teams as a free agent soon. Very interesting.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 23, 2019

This all comes after New England added fellow receiver Mohamed Sanu in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday.

If Gordon were to become available and assuming there’s no further off-field issues, a number of contending teams would be interested.

The 28-year-old has recorded 20 receptions for 287 yards and a touchdown in six games this season.