Melvin Gordon Prepared To Sit Out If No Deal In Place With Chargers

Adam Schefter reports that the Chargers and Melvin Gordon have not made progress towards an agreement on a long-term extension.

According to Schefter, Gordon still wants to return in time for the regular season, but he is prepared to sit out if no new deal is reached before then.

A few weeks ago, Josina Anderson reported that Gordon has officially requested a trade from the Chargers last week after the team didn’t budge from its offer of $10 million per season. 

However, the Chargers denied Gordon’s agent, Damarius Bilbo, permission to seek trade partners around the league. Chargers GM Tom Telesco told Bilbo the running back is “still family.”

Anderson noted that Bilbo was able to successfully convince the Dolphins to trade his client WR Jarvis Landry who was also on the franchise tag and value differently by his original team. 

Gordon is reportedly seeking a deal worth closer to $13 million per season from the Chargers. The team has refused to move off its offer of $10 million per season so far, meaning this holdout could extend into the regular season. 

Gordon, 26, is a former first-round pick out of Wisconsin by the Chargers in the 2015 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year $10.669 million rookie contract that was fully guaranteed and made a base salary of $1,889,967 for the 2018 season.

The Chargers picked up Gordon’s fifth-year option this past May worth $5,605,000 for the 2019 season.

In 2018, Gordon appeared in 12 games for the Chargers and rushed for 885 yards on 175 carries (5.1 YPC) to go along with 50 receptions for 490 yards receiving and 14 total touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 7 running back out of 62 qualifying players.

We’ll have more on Gordon and the Chargers as the news is available.