Tom Brady Throws To Suspended Receiver Josh Gordon In Workout

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady raised eyebrows on Wednesday after he posted a video on Instagram of him throwing a football to suspended receiver Josh Gordon. The GIF showed Brady throwing a football to an unknown pass catcher on a grassy athletic field. Multiple news outlets later reported the receiver in the video is Gordon. Brady added the following caption to the video: "Practice makes perfect."

The video and caption fueled speculation that Gordon, who was suspended indefinitely by the NFL in December after the latest of several violations of the NFL-NFLPA substance abuse policy, could be reinstated soon. In February, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Gordon was making progress in rehab and "could be back by [training] camp." Two months later, the Patriots re-signed Gordon to a one-year, $2.025 million contract, giving more ammunition to the reinstatement conjecture.

After the Brady video was posted, a spokesman for the NFL told Jeff Howe of The Athletic that the league does not have any update on Gordon's status.

If Gordon is reinstated before the season and stays clean, he could provide a boost to the Patriots' passing game. The talented 28-year-old receiver has been a maddening figure since joining the league in 2012. He has flashed All-Pro ability; in 2013 he caught 87 passes for 1,646 yards (which led the NFL) and nine touchdowns. But he also missed all but five games from 2015-17 because of suspension. Last year he caught 40 passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games with New England before the December suspension ended his season.

The Patriots are trying to replace the receiving production of former tight end Rob Gronkowski, who announced his retirement in March. In May, the team drafted Arizona State receiver N'Keal Harry with the 32nd pick of the first round.