Melvin Gordon Encountering Weak Market?

Melvin Gordon appears to have overestimated his market value. The five-year Chargers running back has not received the kind of interest he anticipated, with Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reporting (via Pro Football Talk) the offers coming the two-time Pro Bowler’s way are not on the level of the one the Bolts submitted last year.

During a lengthy impasse, the Chargers offered their former starting back a deal in the $10MM-AAV range. While that was not quite on the top tier of running back contracts at the time, it was still a lucrative pact at a position that has seen its place on the NFL salary spectrum steadily plummet.

No team is proposing anything “remotely close” to what the Chargers did last year, Garafolo adds.

The Chargers broke off extension talks late last summer, and Gordon did not make his 2019 debut until October. Last season proved to be a down year for the Bolts and Gordon, who saw Austin Ekeler outplay him. Ekeler now has a Chargers deal averaging north of $6MM per year. Gordon is undoubtedly seeking a contract worth far more, but as of Day 4 of free agency, such a buyer may not exist.

Set to turn 27 soon, Gordon is probably the best back on the market. He totaled at least 1,375 yards from scrimmage from 2016-18 and has 47 touchdowns over the past four years. While he has missed time due to minor injuries throughout his career, Gordon was healthy throughout 2019. And although Gordon averaged less than four yards per carry in four of five seasons, he was placed behind mostly bad Bolts offensive lines in that span. But he remains in free agency and may have to accept a lesser deal than he envisioned signing.

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