By Jordan Long
The L.A. Chargers are set to open training camp on July 27th. There is one player who may want out of L.A., running back Melvin Gordon. If a new deal is not reached, he would like to be traded.
Gordon enters his 5th NFL season with the Chargers. In his previous 4 years, he has been the top running back for them, rushing for 3,628 yards with an average yard per rush of 4.0. Gordon added 28 touchdowns. His running takes the pressure off of quarterback Philip Rivers plus it opens up the passing game. Opposing defenses don’t know if the Chargers are going to run the football or pass it once Gordon is in the game.
When the Chargers pass the football, Gordon is able to block for Rivers. This gives him more time to throw the football. Rivers finds his receiver which can go for large chunks of yards. There are times Gordon sneaks out of the backfield and Rivers finds him for passes. Gordon has 1,577 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
Gordon has proven he can be a #1 running back in the NFL. He wants to be paid like it. He is entering the last year of his rookie contract which is going to pay him $5.605 million this season. Once the year is over Gordon will be free agent who can sign with any team.
The Chargers know how Gordon helps this offense. He is a large part of what they do. They must work with Gordon for him to be happy to stay. That could be around $8 to $10 million a year which is a lot to pay a running back.
If the Chargers feel Gordon is not the future, then deal him to a team right now. They can always plug in another running back who can gain yards on the ground. It wouldn’t be that difficult to receive draft picks back to build for the future. This allows both the Chargers and Gordon to have a fresh start. The Chargers must make a decision. If they don’t Gordon may decide to holdout. Hopefully this is resolved soon to make both sides happy. ff
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