Melvin Gordon - Pro Football Rumors

Melvin Gordon Week 4 Debut Possible

September 27th, 2019 at 2:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

After initially being slated to return to game action in Week 5, Melvin Gordon could get a head-start. The Chargers’ injury situation may move their back-in-the-fold Pro Bowler into action Sunday in Miami.

Anthony Lynn said Gordon could play in a limited capacity against the Dolphins, Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets. This comes after the 26-year-old back ended his holdout Wednesday. Gordon, however, was to be held out for a week.

Justin Jackson is out with a strained calf, leaving Austin Ekeler and Troymaine Pope as the only running backs currently on Los Angeles’ 53-man roster. Gordon will need to be activated by the Saturday-afternoon deadline in order to play, but the Bolts will do so, it appears. The two-time Pro Bowl back will travel with the team to Miami.

Lynn said earlier this week Gordon will reclaim his starting job upon returning. That would stand to be the case in Week 5, likely with Ekeler retaining a major role in the Bolts’ offense, but the duo’s roles could be reverse in this in-case-of-emergency situation Sunday.

Gordon finished last season with 1,375 yards from scrimmage in 12 games. He will be a major boost to a Chargers team that’s dropped to 1-2.

AFC West Notes: Chargers, Broncos, Chiefs

September 26th, 2019 at 7:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Now that he’s back with the Chargers, running back Melvin Gordon will instantly vault to the top of the club’s depth chart. “He’s our starter. No doubt,” said head coach Anthony Lynn, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. “He was our starter for a reason… as soon as Melvin’s ready, he’ll go back. He’ll go back to number one.” Lynn also said backups Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson will continue to get work, but Gordon will become the No. 1 back. Meanwhile, Los Angeles received a roster exemption for Gordon, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Gordon’s exemption ends on October 7, so the Chargers don’t technically have to activate him for either Week 4 or 5.

Here’s more from the AFC West:

The Chargers placed left tackle Russell Okung on the non-football injury list prior to the beginning of the regular season, meaning he has to miss at least the first six weeks of the campaign. Lynn says Okung, who is dealing with a pulmonary embolism, could potentially return by Week 7 or 8, but that timeline is unclear, as Albert Breer of The MMQB.com writes. Amid the uncertainty, Trent Scott has taken over as LA’s starter on Philip Rivers‘ blindside, but he’s graded out as a bottom-10 tackle league-wide, per Pro Football Focus.
Broncos right tackle Ja’Wuan James is expected to miss two-to-four more weeks while dealing with a knee injury, while cornerback Bryce Callahan is out four-to-six more weeks after undergoing a procedure on his foot, according to Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Meanwhile, defensive back Kareem Jackson is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars because of a foot issue, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. As a result, Denver could potentially be without its top three free agent signings for its Week 4 contest.
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is eligible for an extension at season’s end, and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier this year that the Chiefs signal-caller is likely to land a deal worth more than $200MM. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examines what’s changed in the months since while looking at just how soon Kansas City could give Mahomes a fresh pact.

Melvin Gordon Reports To Chargers

September 26th, 2019 at 11:14am CST by Zachary Links

Melvin Gordon is in the building. On Thursday, the star running back halted his holdout to join the Bolts at their team facility, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Gordon’s holdout was always viewed as unlikely to stretch the entire season. Per league rules, Gordon has to report before Week 10 in order to qualify for free agency next season. Early on, many thought that the running back would cut it close. That’s not the case – he’s ready to rock and reported to the team on Thursday. He won’t be suiting up for this week’s game, but he could be placed back into the lineup for the Chargers’ Oct. 6 showdown with the Broncos.

After missing three games, Gordon has lost out on $1MM of his $5.6MM salary for 2019. The Chargers may, or may not, rescind fines levied against him for the missed time.

More importantly – Gordon will be cashing paychecks the rest of the way and paving the way for free agent riches in March. From a football perspective, he’ll provide a major boost for the Chargers, who are presently 1-2.

Beyond this year, Gordon expects 2019 to be his last season with the Chargers, though he has previously indicated a desire to remain in L.A. Worth noting – Gordon was open to being traded to the Texans after they lost Lamar Miller to injury.

Melvin Gordon To Report To Chargers

September 25th, 2019 at 5:56pm CST by Rory Parks

After reports earlier today suggested that Melvin Gordon may be ending his holdout and returning to the Chargers soon, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Gordon will indeed report to the team tomorrow (Twitter link). Gordon will not play in the team’s matchup against Miami on Sunday, but he will presumably return to action the following week.

Gordon needed to return before Week 10 in order to qualify for free agency next season, so he is reporting with plenty of time to spare. However, having missed three weeks of action, he will lose out on roughly $1MM of his $5.6MM 2019 salary, not to mention potential fines (which the team may opt to rescind).

Statistically, Los Angeles’ rushing game has not suffered too much in Gordon’s absence, as Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson have 56 carries for 302 yards (good for 5.4 yards per carry) and two TDs. Ekeler is responsible for both of those scores, and he has also been a contributor in the passing game, adding two receiving touchdowns as well.

However, the Chargers have dropped their last two games, and while they are racking up a lot of yardage, they don’t have the points to show for it. Adding another talented and versatile back could certainly help.

The last we heard, Los Angeles was not planning to give Gordon a new contract during the 2019 season, and the Chargers are clearly not willing to give Gordon the type of contract he is seeking. Indeed, per ESPN’s Josina Anderson, Gordon expects 2019 to be his last season with the Chargers (Twitter link).

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com adds that Gordon was open to being traded to the Texans, who were a logical suitor given their running back needs (Twitter link). But despite the fact that the Chargers gave Gordon permission to seek a trade, Fowler says Los Angeles never made a trade a viable option, with the implication being that the Bolts put a prohibitively high price tag on their former first-round pick.

Chargers’ Melvin Gordon To End Holdout?

September 25th, 2019 at 8:55am CST by Zachary Links

Melvin Gordon could be on the verge of suiting up for the Chargers once again. His holdout may end soon, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears, though he has yet to decide on when he’ll report.

Gordon is considering ending his holdout on Thursday, according to Branson Wright of The Plain Dealer (Twitter link) which may allow him to return to action on Oct. 6 against the Broncos. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) is hearing similar word, though nothing has been firmed up just yet on Gordon’s end. Furthermore, head coach Anthony Lynn said he has not heard from Gordon, as Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com tweets.

Previously, Gordon planned to return at some point in October. Apparently, Gordon’s itch to get back on the field has advanced his timeline. There’s no word yet on whether his return will come with a new contract from the Chargers, though GM Tom Telesco says that he will not give the running back a new contract during the 2019 season.

Gordon has aimed to protect his football future with his holdout, though a source close to Gordon recently said that this would not evolve into a “Le’Veon Bell situation.” The touchdown machine is hoping to stay with the Bolts for the long run, so it only makes sense for this holdout to end differently than Bell’s in Pittsburgh.

The Chargers have been open to trading the Gordon, but they have not received any known offers worth considering. Recently, the Eagles offered up Jordan Howard and a swap mid-round picks, but the Chargers, understandably, were not interested.

Without Gordon, the Chargers have dropped two in a row to the Lions and Texans.

Melvin Gordon Still Wants To Play For Chargers

September 13th, 2019 at 9:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Melvin Gordon will continue to “protect himself” with his holdout, but he “still wants to be a Charger,” a source tells ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). This won’t be a “Le’Veon Bell situation,” the source added, so we can still expect to see Gordon back on the field at some point in 2019.

At this stage, a mid-season or early November return is looking likely, Fowler hears. In the interim, Gordon figures to play on the $5.6MM fifth-year option of his deal, though he’ll be docked 1/17th for each week he misses. So far, he’s down about $660K for Weeks 1 and 2.

Gordon surely wants to play football, but he has other reasons for wanting to get back on the gridiron. Namely – he must report before Week 10 in order to qualify for free agency next season.

Earlier this month, the Eagles expressed interest in Gordon and gave the Bolts a lowball offer for the ages. In theory, the Chargers could still trade the touchdown machine, but for now, they seem willing to wait things out. Here’s what we do know – the Chargers are unwilling to give Gordon an extension in 2019.

For now, Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson will share backfield duties in L.A.

Chargers’ Melvin Gordon Plans To Report

September 8th, 2019 at 8:21am CST by cwcrouse

The Chargers remain without Melvin Gordon as the running back is holding out for a new contract. Sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com that Gordon will not sit out the entire season like Le’Veon Bell did last year. Instead, he plans to report between Weeks 6 and 8.

Gordon will play on the $5.6MM fifth-year option of his contract this season, though that amount will be prorated based on how many games he plays. He must report before Week 10 in order to qualify for free agency next season.

Gordon’s plan to sit out for up to half of the season is a risk management tactic, as he wants to mitigate the chances of injury heading into free agency. He’s missed nine games because of injuries in his four years, though he’s played hurt in several games.

Los Angeles has already fined Gordon over $1MM and previously gave him permission to seek a trade. The Eagles were among the interested teams in his services, though the Chargers found their offer underwhelming. Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson will split touches while Gordon is away.

Eagles, Chargers Discuss Melvin Gordon

September 4th, 2019 at 11:37am CST by Zachary Links

Melvin Gordon could be on the move and the Eagles, for the right price, would be interested in acquiring him. The Eagles offered up a trade in which they would send Jordan Howard to Los Angeles and swap mid-round picks, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. In the proposed swap, the Chargers would also eat a portion of Gordon’s salary. Unsurprisingly, the Chargers declined the offer.

Howard, at one point in time, was a powerful rusher with juke ability for the Bears. However, he eventually lost his footing in Chicago, thanks in part to the emergence of Tarik Cohen. This year, the Bears shipped Howard to the Eagles for a draft choice and went on to add their new starting running back in the first round.

The Chargers are unwilling to extend Gordon this year and are, in theory, willing to trade him. The latest word – with at least one team, they’ve pitched a Gordon trade that would call for a 2020 first-rounder or a 2020 fifth- and 2021 first-rounder in exchange.

Latest On Chargers, Melvin Gordon

September 3rd, 2019 at 7:45pm CST by Rory Parks

The Chargers recently gave disgruntled RB Melvin Gordon permission to seek a trade, and now we have the first concrete report of outside interest. Per ESPN’s Josina Anderson, one team has been in contact with LA to discuss a potential deal (Twitter link).

However, Anderson said those discussions were preliminary, and it sounds as if the Bolts’ asking price is quite high. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says that the Chargers have told at least one other team that they want a first- and fifth-round pick in exchange for the two-time Pro Bowler, and Anderson says in a separate tweet that LA has indeed proposed a 2020 first-rounder or a 2020 fifth- and 2021 first-rounder.

As Florio observes, the ask contradicts the Chargers’ own approach to the Gordon situation. Los Angeles is unwilling to extend him this season and do not want to pay him over $10MM per year, and when combined with the fact that an acquiring team would probably have to give Gordon a new contract worth near $13MM per year, the demand for a first- and fifth-round seems much too rich.

Of course, there’s no harm in aiming high and then adjusting as trade negotiations continue, but as of right now, it’s hard to say if the Chargers are really interested in trading Gordon. The team has all the leverage, so the Bolts may just be waiting for Gordon to cave and return early enough to be eligible for unrestricted free agency next year.

Chargers Will Not Extend Melvin Gordon In 2019

September 1st, 2019 at 2:14pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s unclear what will happen next with Melvin Gordon, but we now know one thing. The Chargers’ running back won’t be getting the extension he wants from Los Angeles this season.

Chargers GM Tom Telesco announced Sunday the team is postponing extension talks until after the season, according to Gilbert Manzano of the OC Register (Twitter link). The Chargers have been negotiating with Gordon this summer, although obviously they didn’t offer anything Gordon and his representatives were willing to accept. We heard back in July that the two sides were about $2-3MM apart in talks.

Those talks will now be tabled until the end of the season, if they’re ever brought back again at all. “When or if Melvin reports, he’ll play this season under his current contract, and we’ll just revisit it after the season,” Telesco said, via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Telesco is playing hardball, and clearly isn’t going to budge. Just yesterday, word leaked that the Chargers had given the Wisconsin product permission to seek a trade.

That same report also indicated that Gordon hadn’t ruled out returning and playing out the final year of his rookie deal. He’s currently set to make $5.605MM under the fifth-year option. Of course even if Gordon is able to find a team willing to trade for him, they’d have to offer compensation that the Chargers want. He doesn’t have too much leverage at the moment, since if he doesn’t play this season his contract would simply toll to 2020.

Gordon had by far the best year of his career in 2018, and now he’s trying to cash in. The Chargers have remained firm in their stance and haven’t backed down, and appear content to enter the season with Austin Ekeler and second-year player Justin Jackson atop the depth chart. It’ll be interesting to see what Gordon does next, and how much time he’s willing to miss.