NFL: 25 wide receivers that should have been league MVP

NFL wide receivers that should have been league MVP: 19. Josh Gordon, 2013

Okay, this one will take some explaining. Josh Gordon is a story nobody wants to tell in the NFL. He’s one of the most talented players in the league, but he can’t stay out of trouble. He’s constantly failing drug tests throughout his career, and it’s also got him in trouble off the field. His demons are unmistakable, but he has gotten more chances to succeed than the Arizona Coyotes.

Here’s the thing, Josh Gordon was the best player in the league for 14 weeks in 2013. There is no argument. He missed two games, yet he led the league in receiving yards, scored nine touchdowns, and added 88 rushing yards on just five attempts. He was the most dynamic player in the league. Nobody could touch him. Literally.

Gordon’s issues are well known. Despite that, he’s on an NFL roster in 2021. That’s eight years later. He was so good for this one season that teams gave him chances for eight more years. Since then, he’s been given shots by the Patriots, Seahawks, and now the Chiefs. All these chances stem from one superstar season with the Cleveland Browns.

It is hard to argue for Gordon’s MVP candidacy because of how bad the Cleveland Browns were as a whole, but that is part of his MVP argument. Despite being a four-win team, Gordon was constantly beating the opposing defense. It didn’t matter that teams started double-teaming him. Gordon kept beating teams and defenses.