Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Melvin Gordon and the San Diego Chargers have not made progress at the negotiating table over the running back's contract.
Remember when the Melvin Gordon to Philadelphia rumors were based on Instagram messages? Now they are rooted in fact. The Eagles reportedly spun the tires on a possible trade for the disgruntled running back, but the Chargers asking price was way too high.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer dropped an interesting nugget Wednesday on the matter. According to Breer, the Eagles offered Jordan Howard and a swap of middle-round draft picks. They also insisted that Los Angeles eat Gordon’s current contract. He signed a four-year deal worth $10.66 million, with a $6 million signing bonus in 2015.
Obviously, the Chargers didn’t take the bait on that lopsided negotiation. Breer was also quick to point out that the talk was a “conceptual conversation” and it never reached a serious stage. Pro Football Talk reported the Chargers want a first- and fifth-round pick in exchange for Gordon.
Gordon’s name started popping up as a possible target for the Eagles late Sunday evening after he began following the Eagles’ official Instagram account, plus several key players, including Ronald Darby and Corey Clement. The speculation reached fever pitch when Gordon was mentioned as a member of the Eagles on his Wikipedia page. He was listed wearing No. 25.
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Does Gordon Make Sense for Eagles?
The short answer is no, not in the way the team is currently constructed. They have four running backs costing them less than $5 million on the roster in Jordan Howard, Miles Sanders, Darren Sproles and Corey Clement. The reason Melvin Gordon wants to leave Los Angeles is because the Chargers won’t rip up his contract and dole out more money.
And not just a few extra dollars. Gordon wants to be paid among the highest at his position, a salary that has escalated into the upper stratosphere following Ezekiel Elliott’s new deal in Dallas. Gordon is going to want an annual salary in the same range, around $15 million per year.
Elliott officially inked a six-year deal worth $90 million with the Cowboys, including $50 million guaranteed. That’s an astronomical price to pay for any player, let alone a position as fickle as running back. Of course, some have argued that no player is as important to their team as Elliott is to the Cowboys.
My problem with many #NFL observers is everything has to be mutually exclusive. RB is and should be devalued but Ezekiel Elliott is an outlier. The #DallasCowboys offense runs through him. And Melvin Gordon isn’t Zeke. #NFL100
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joked he was almost $100 million lighter.
“Zeke will hit the ground running,” Jones said, via Yahoo! Sports. “We didn’t deliberately let anything drag on. Anyone knows it’s a negotiation. And I’d rather be answering why it went on too long before the first game — and got done — than to be sitting there in the third game not having it done … I may be almost $100 million lighter, but I’m happier.”
Eagles Break Silence on Jadeveon Clowney
The Eagles didn’t break the bank to acquire Jadeveon Clowney, so it stands to reason they won’t do anything over the top to bring in Melvin Gordon. The one position that could be considered a deficiency in Philadephia is their pass-rushing situation. Ultimately, GM Howie Roseman thought it was good enough to compete for a Super Bowl. That, or he just didn’t want to overpay for Clowney. The defensive end could have up and left after the season.
Roseman spoke with 94 WIP’s Angelo Cataldi Tuesday morning and explained why the Eagles didn’t get a trade for Clowney done. Reading in between the lines, the comments apply equally to how they feel about Gordon. Philadelphia is good enough and doesn’t want to risk getting any older.
“We’re not just trying to collect talent, we’re trying to build a team,” Roseman said. “And with that, you can’t always have everything exactly that you want, especially because we want to have a team that’s competing for championships this year, for sure, but also going forward.”
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