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Kansas City Chiefs release WR Josh Gordon

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chiefs released veteran wide receiver Josh Gordon on Tuesday as they trimmed down to their initial 53-man roster.

Gordon said a public farewell to the Chiefs and their fans in a pair of tweets Tuesday.

"Appreciate all the @Chiefs kingdom has done for me and my family this past year. Thanks for the opportunity and the many memories," he tweeted and then added: "Excited to see where the next part of my football journey takes me #itsabusiness #dreamchasing."

Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters that, "there's a chance he's potentially back here if it doesn't work out for him somewhere else.''

Gordon, 31, led the NFL with 1,646 receiving yards in 2013, when he played for the Cleveland Browns. Since then, Gordon has been suspended by the NFL six times, five for some form of substance abuse, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Between 2014 and 2020, Gordon missed three full seasons while suspended. Besides the Chiefs and Browns, he also spent time with the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.

His most recent suspension was in December 2019. He was reinstated in September 2021 and signed with the Chiefs.

He played in 12 games for the Chiefs last season with five catches, 32 yards and a touchdown. But he was a healthy scratch for the Chiefs in all three of their playoff games.

This year, he never got any traction in training camp or the preseason toward making the roster. He was running well down the depth chart.