Melvin Gordon remains away from Chargers deep into August
The Los Angeles Chargers are quite possibly looking at starting the regular season without star running back Melvin Gordon.
Melvin Gordon is entering the final year of his rookie deal. He has held out since July in the hopes of attaining a long-term extension. Reports surfaced that Melvin Gordon was offered a contract of $10 million annually by general manager Tom Telesco. However, the deal wasn’t lucrative enough to get interest going.
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Now, with the second week of the preseason upon us, Gordon remains at large. The Chargers, meanwhile, are trotting out the capable duo of Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson. On Thursday, quarterback Philip Rivers weighed in on the situation, backing his teammate while talking up his team, per NFL.com:
“If he’s not here, we’ve got to go, and I think that’s what I was saying three weeks ago,” Rivers said. “We do have good players here at that position, and so we’ve got to go.
“Are we better with Melvin? Heck yeah we are. So hopefully we have him, in addition to these other guys, and then it will be one of the saltiest running back groups around. Again, I’m in no place to speak for the organization, but I know no player is in a panic right now. We want to support him. We wish he was here, but we know it’s August and everything is OK at this point.”
Last year, Gordon was arguably Los Angeles’ most valuable offensive player this side of Rivers, notching 885 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 5.1 yards per carry in 12 regular-season games. He was equally as helpful in the passing game, totaling 50 receptions for 490 yards and another four scores.
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If Gordon does indeed continue his holdout into the campaign, the question becomes whether Ekeler and Jackson can shoulder the proverbial load without Gordon. In 2018, Ekeler had 145 touches. Jackson accounted for 65. In short, they combined for 210 while Gordon 225. Finding a way to replace those quality snaps won’t be easy.
The Chargers have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. With Rivers turning 38 years old in December, the time is now for a Los Angeles team chasing its first title since winning the American Football League championship in 1963. Gordon may not be essential in that quest, but he’s certainly helpful. Fighting with the Kansas City Chiefs to claim the AFC West, his presence or lack of it may prove the difference.
There’s still time for Gordon and the Chargers to either find common ground or give into the other side. But it’s dwindling.
