Suspended WR Josh Gordon signs RFA tender with New England Patriots

April 23 (UPI) -- New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon, who is currently serving an indefinite NFL suspension, signed his restricted free-agent tender Tuesday, league sources told ESPN and the Boston Herald.

If Gordon is reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, he will be under contract with the Patriots for the 2019 season and would earn a base salary of $2.025 million on the one-year deal.

Gordon played in 11 games with New England last season and recorded 40 receptions for 720 yards and three touchdowns. He was eventually suspended Dec. 20 for violating the terms of his reinstatement under the league's substance abuse policy. He missed the team's last two regular-season contests and all three playoff games.

The league hasn't announced if Gordon's suspension will carry over to this season.

"The first thing right now is to focus on Josh himself as a young man, and what he needs to do to get his life on the right track," Goodell said in March at the NFL's annual meeting. "That's what our focus is. We have resources supporting that, and that's our hope -- to make sure he gets on the right track. Once he gets on the right track, we'll get to that place. But I think right now, he has had a complete focus on, 'I have to get myself all cleared in the right place before I can get back on the field.'"

The Patriots are thin at receiver, with Super Bowl LIII MVP Julian Edelman leading the group. Phillip Dorsett, Demaryius Thomas, Braxton Berrios, Maurice Harris, Bruce Ellington and Damoun Patterson join Edelman on the depth chart.