Chargers Give Melvin Gordon Permission To Seek Trade

With contract talks between the Chargers and Melvin Gordon not progressing, the team will give the fifth-year running back permission to seek a trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

Gordon has not ruled out returning to the Bolts on his current contract, per RapSheet, but the Pro Bowl back will now explore his options elsewhere.

The running back has balked at the Bolts’ proposal to this point and has been training in Florida. Gordon can’t sit out the entire season — or at least, he can’t sit out the entire season if he wants to become a free agent next spring (which he does). If Gordon doesn’t report by November 29, he won’t be eligible to play during the 2019 campaign. At that point, his contract would toll: his $5.605MM salary would simply carry over to 2020, and he’d remain under the Chargers’ control.

The Chargers saw Austin Ekeler average north of five yards per carry last season, and the team drafted Justin Jackson in last year’s second round. This duo would be likely set for a timeshare if Gordon heads elsewhere. The next few days will give the former Wisconsin star a chance to determine his value. That process may well lead him out of Los Angeles, but it could also end his holdout — if the money from other teams is not to Gordon’s liking.

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