AFC West Notes: Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders

Chargers

• The Athletic’s Daniel Popper says Chargers RB Melvin Gordon has three options now that the team has pulled its offer of an extension off the table and granted Gordon permission to discuss a trade with other teams. 
• Gordon can return to the team and play out his fifth-year option at $5.605 million for 2019, though he risks injury without a long-term deal which is why he held out in the first place.
• Gordon can also sit out the first eight games of the season and then report to accrue a year of credit toward free agency while minimizing his injury risk, though he’ll continue to pay fines and might have to win a grievance case against the Chargers. In this scenario, Gordon would be facing a potential franchise tag by the Chargers in 2020, which would put him in a similar situation to Le’Veon Bell when he was in Pittsburgh.
• Popper says Gordon could also find a team that would be willing to sign him to what he wants in an extension and give up a draft pick to convince the Chargers to part with him. A team would likely need to give the Chargers a third-round pick or higher given Los Angeles could receive a compensatory third for allowing Gordon to leave in free agency. 
• Gordon has been asking for around $13 million per season from the Chargers. Popper notes there might not be a team willing to do both. 

Chiefs

• Per Brooke Pryor of the Kansas City Star, Chiefs HC Andy Reid says the team was comfortable signing RB LeSean McCoy despite his age: “Not a lot of 31-year-old running backs running around like that. He still has great feet and vision.”
• McCoy said he would leave it up to Reid on how to split up the carries between himself, Damien Williams and sixth-round RB Darwin Thompson: “There’s some pretty good backs. That’s for coach Reid to handle. The good thing about that is he’s been doing it for a number of years. … I want to win and be with a winning team. Whatever it takes to get it done, we’ll do.” (Pryor)
• McCoy confirmed he picked Kansas City over the Chargers: “This is probably my best fit. … LA is far, I’ve got a 7-year-old son. he wouldn’t like that very much. Also, the taxes.” (Pryor)

Raiders

• Per NBC Sports’ Scott Bair, Raiders HC Jon Gruden said QB Nathan Peterman hurt his elbow in the Raiders’ fourth preseason game against the Seahawks. 
• Peterman was able to finish the game, however, after mentioning pain in his elbow an MRI showed a small tear that wouldn’t need surgery, leading the team to place Peterman on injured reserve with the potential to return. 
• Gruden says the plan was to use Peterman on the Raiders scout team to simulate more athletic quarterbacks. That job now falls to QB DeShone Kizer, claimed off waivers from the Packers. 
• Gruden expects fourth-round CB Isaiah Johnson to return from injured reserve after eight weeks. (Bair)