The Los Angeles Chargers have had a less-than-stellar start to their 2019 campaign, suffering back-to-back losses over the last two weeks. Additionally, the offense has eclipsed 20 points just once during the season. However, LA’s star running back appears to be much closer to returning to the team than originally thought.
According to multiple reports, Melvin Gordon could soon be pushing up his reporting date to return to the Chargers. He had previously planned to end his holdout and report back at some point in October; however, no final decisions have been made as of yet. Gordon has to report by Nov. 29 to be eligible to play at all in 2019.
Gordon, 26, has held out since the summer in order to ink a long-term extension with the Chargers. When it appeared that he was no longer in Los Angeles’ long-term plans, he was granted permission to seek a trade. However, nothing ever materialized, and Gordon’s holdout extended into the regular season.
For this season, the final year of his rookie deal, Gordon is scheduled to make $5.605 million. Chargers general manager Tom Telesco has already announced that the team would no longer negotiate with Gordon until after the season, so should Gordon return to action in the coming weeks, he will play under that current contract.
Wanting More
A former first-round pick from Wisconsin, Gordon was offered a contract in the offseason that would pay him around $10 million a year, double what he is earning now. However, the running back wants a deal similar to the ones Todd Gurley, Le’Veon Bell, and David Johnson all received. Each of those backs are making around $13 or $14 million a season.
Whether it’s because of his team or market, Gordon has flown under the radar over the last few seasons. However, his numbers are comparable to the running backs Gordon wants to match in pay. In his first four seasons, he has rushed for 3,628 yards with an additional 1,577 receiving yards. Gordon also has 38 total touchdowns after famously failing to reach the end zone in his rookie season. On the downside, he has also appeared in all 16 games just once, in 2017, when he eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the first and only time.
Doing Okay
While the Chargers are under .500 and the offense has slightly underwhelmed, their running game without Gordon has had a decent go-around. Los Angeles ranks 13th in the NFL with 111.7 rushing yards per game thanks to the duo of Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson. Ekeler, now in his third season, has run for 160 yards and two touchdowns, while last year’s seventh-round pick, Jackson, has 142 yards on the ground. Ekeler has also been a huge threat catching the ball, with over 200 receiving yards and two more touchdowns through three games.
The success of Ekeler and Jackson has surely played a large role in Gordon reportedly considering a quicker return to the team. Should Gordon come back, he would likely return to the starting role after getting back in game shape, with Ekeler still seeing the field as a pass-catching back and Jackson moving to a backup role once again.
As Gordon decides what his next move is, the Chargers head to Miami to play the 0-3 Dolphins. Then they return home for two straight games; one against the division rival Broncos and the other against the Steelers.
