Josh Gordon is back, and he isn't here to just dip his toes into the water.
On Wednesday, the conditionally reinstated Cleveland Browns wideout said now that he's on an NFL roster once again, he's ready to be the greatest receiver to ever play the game.
"Ultimately my goal is to be the best wide receiver of all time, so I think any wide receiver, any position should see themselves in that way," Gordon told reporters, via The Plain Dealer. "For me, that's always been my goal, and it's just been re-affirmed for me time and time again and now being back in the situation to do it, I plan on seeing it through."
The benchmark is obviously a lofty one. Most in the Browns' organization would settle for a drama-free final few months of the season from a wideout who hasn't sniffed regular-season action in nearly three years because of a suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.
But Gordon, who was once an All-Pro that led the league with 1,646 receiving yards in 2013, is coming off his ban ready to prove that a sober Josh Gordon is one who can threaten Jerry Rice and Randy Moss on the league's Mt. Rushmore of all-time wideouts.
Gordon, though, will have a small sample size to show that this year. The 26-year-old can only return to practice as early as Nov. 20 and can return to the active roster only as early as Nov. 27. That means Gordon's return, if all goes right over the next month, would start on Dec. 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, giving him the chance to play in just five games this season.
The receiver believes that should be plenty of time to show he can be one of the game's most dominant yet again.
"I know I'm clean and sober and I'm looking forward to that," Gordon said. "The ceiling is very high and there's a lot of potential there."
