Former New England Patriots wide receiver Josh Gordon slid all the way to the Seattle Seahawks, with the NFL’s No. 28 waiver priority Friday, meaning the Giants passed on the opportunity to add the former second-round supplemental draft pick to its stable of receivers.

The Giants weren’t the only team that passed on signing Gordon -- 27 others did as well.

Throughout this career, Gordon has dealt with various issues off the field, which is one of many reasons so many teams likely passed him up.

Gordon, 28, has battled alcohol and marijuana addiction that led to multiple failed drug tests, including as recently as last season, which led to multiple suspensions.

In addition to Gordon’s struggles away from football, reports surfaced in recent weeks questioning his work ethic.

General manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur have meticulously aimed to craft a culture in the Giants’ locker room built on the foundation of high character players. It is entirely possible that the Giants -- one of the more buttoned up franchises in the NFL -- simply didn’t believe Gordon was worth the headache for the next eight weeks or beyond, even if his departure at league’s end might have led to being awarded a compensatory draft pick.

There is little doubt that Gordon would have added a playmaking presence to the Giants’ wide receiving corps that is in desperate need of a consistent No. 3 option behind starters Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate. Gordon has caught 240 passes for 4,113 yards and 20 touchdowns in 58 career games with the Cleveland Browns and Patriots.

However, the Giants are optimistic about the progress and potential of fifth-round rookie wide receiver Darius Slayton, who has produced 16 catches for 267 yards and three touchdowns in the first six games of his NFL career. Signing Gordon -- and playing him meaningful snaps -- would keep Slayton off the field and could be detrimental to the Auburn alum’s development.

The Giants, as of Friday the Giants have just $2.5 million in cap space, according to SpoTrac. Claiming Gordon, and absorbing the remaining $1.1 million on his deal would have left little spending flexibility on hand over the final eight weeks to sign players needed due to injury.

Even if the Giants believed that Gordon -- or the compensatory pick that they would be awarded if another team signed him in March -- was worth the investment, New York would have struggled to fit him under the salary cap, which is likely one of the biggest reasons why he slid past them on the waiver wire.

Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoNFL