Getty Los Angeles Chargers RB Melvin Gordon.
Melvin Gordon’s extended contract holdout has reportedly come to an end.
Gordon is expected to report to the Los Angeles Chargers facility on Thursday, although he will not play this Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Sources: The holdout is ending. #Chargers RB Melvin Gordon is, in fact, reporting to the team tomorrow. He won’t play this week, but he is planning to be back in the fold with his teammates.
Gordon had been in search of a long-term deal that would make him paid like one of the NFL’s top tier backs.
That being said, he hasn’t matched a production of a guy like Ezekiel Elliott, another running who also had a lengthy holdout this offseason. However, Elliott’s absence instead ended with a record-setting six-year extension that featured $90 million in new money and $50 million guaranteed. Elliott has been the NFL rushing champ twice in his first three seasons in the NFL.
Gordon hasn’t been quite as prolific, recording 3,628 yards and 28 touchdowns over his first four seasons. He’s also an elite receiving back, with 50-plus receptions in his last two seasons, including last year when he caught 50 balls for 490 yards and four touchdowns. However, Gordon has played in 16 games only once in his career.
Chargers Not Negotiating Until End of Season With Melvin Gordon
GettyChargers running back Melvin Gordon.
The Chargers went 1-2 in Gordon’s absence. The team ranked 13th in the NFL with 111.7 rushing yards per game. Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson combined to fill the running back role. Ekeler leads AFC running backs in yards from scrimmage this season and Justin Jackson is averaging a whopping 7.9 yards per carry.
Gordon is scheduled to make $5.605 million in the final season of his rookie deal. Earlier this offseason, Tom Telesco said that any contact extension talks with Gordon will be postponed until after the season.
“When or if Melvin reports, he’ll play this season under his current contract, and we’ll just revisit it after the season,” Telesco said, according to ESPN reporter Eric Williams.
Gordon can become a free agent after the season but has said he wants to stay with the team.
“I want to end up with the Chargers. That’s my home. I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘Man, I don’t want to go back to the Chargers, dah, dah, dah.’ Like that’s the team that blessed me with an opportunity,” Gordon said in July. They started my life. They changed my life. Of all 32 teams, that was the team that called me. I can’t forget them for that.
“But it’s an opportunity right now where I know I need to take advantage of it. You know, I want to get paid. That’s just kind of what it is. Hopefully I end up a Charger. That’s the goal. I want to end up with the Chargers.”
That being said, in the aftermath of the holdout ending, ESPN’s Josina Anderson added that Gordon believes that this will be his last year with the team that drafted him.
Melvin Gordon Fantasy: Patience Pays Off for Owners
If you have stashed Gordon on your fantasy bench to start the year, congratulations on keeping him around. While it’s uncertain how quickly Gordon will be fully integrated back into the offense, there’s no doubt he wants to prove himself after the failed holdout and a pending trip to free agency.
Gordon made the Pro Bowl last season and finished as a top 15 fantasy option and as the No. 6 overall running back. Once he’s back to getting a firm workload, Gordon is clearly a RB1 option because of his ability to contribute both on the ground and in the passing game.
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