The NFL Players Association determined that Josh Gordon has successfully completed his NFL-monitored treatment program and recommends to the league that he be reinstated, sources told ESPN's Adam Schaffter.
Gordon, 30, is awaiting final approval from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but he has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and is said to be ready to play.
The veteran wide receiver submitted his reinstatement letter to Goodell in July.
The NFL suspended Gordon indefinitely in December 2019 for violating its policies on substance abuse and performance-enhancing substances. According to ESPN Stats and Information Research, it was Gordon's sixth suspension since the 2013 season and his fifth for some form of substance abuse.
Gordon was conditionally reinstated by the NFL in December 2020 and was set to practice with the Seattle Seahawks for the final two weeks of the regular season before his reinstatement was canceled in January. Sources confirmed to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler at the time that Gordon had suffered a setback in his recovery from substance abuse.
After his conditional reinstatement in the NFL was rescinded, Gordon joined the Zappers of the fan-controlled Football League to play alongside former Cleveland Browns teammate Johnny Manziel in February. Gordon's return to football ended when the Zappers were eliminated in the playoffs.
Appearing on The Adam Schefter podcast in March, Gordon said he was training and had a good support system with family and good friends, including Manziel, who he said "inspired" him and Showed him "how important are these little details in life."
Selected by the Browns in the 2012 supplemental draft, Gordon has appeared in more than six games only once since the 2013 season, when he led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards.