Josh Gordon must have the longest rookie contract in NFL history.
Taken in the 2012 NFL supplemental draft, his rookie contract was for four years, which means that under normal player circumstances, he should have been an unrestricted free agent during the 2016 offseason. As we all know, though, Gordon’s career has been anything but regular circumstances.
The clearest way to explain Gordon’s status is by asking the question, “How many accrued seasons does he have?” Any season in which Gordon spends 6 or more games on the roster or on IR counts as an accrued season.