The Melvin Gordon Saga - Holdout Over

[Bolts4ever213]

Jenkins is gonna start. Especially since Adderly has been hampered by injuries. Jenkins didn't even know what position they wanted him to play. The fact he didn't get in there ahead of Addae is like Lamp not getting in on the online.

[Formula 21]

Adderly needs to get healthy and stay healthy.

[blueman]

Say MG comes back for the last six games, to keep his contract from tolling. What if he gets injured? If he's not active due to injury and misses games, does that screw up his accrual and his contract tolls?

[21&500]

Say MG comes back for the last six games, to keep his contract from tolling. What if he gets injured? If he's not active due to injury and misses games, does that screw up his accrual and his contract tolls?

I was wondering something similar
that article says that being "active for 6 games" counts as a season.
I think it would help to know exactly what is written about a "5th year team option"

[Boltjolt]

Our computer models are showing
Melvin Gordon for Trent Williams
is a perfect match.

Except that the Redskins dont need him. They have Derrius Guice who missed last season, Chris Thompson who played prety well, Samaje Perine and rookie Bryce Love, who is still hurt. And if they bring back Adrian Peterson theres no place for a guy making 5.6 million on the last year of his deal who wants a new contract.

[Boltjolt]

You might have to give up something other than a convenient cast off for Trent Williams.


Safety: Rayshawn Jenkins?

linebacker: Drue Tranquil? Kyzir White?



If Peterson is done, they will need a workhouse back.

You can always throw in Dzubner to sweeten the pot.

Can assure you TT wont do this. And Dzub sweetens nobodys pot lol.

[Boltjolt]

Gordon's "ME FIRST" attitude is something the locker room can do without. A team player? Hardly. Prima Donna is more like it. Vincent Jackson didn't translate into much for the Bucs. He had a respectable career there, but not much else. He didn't improve the Bucs chances at post season any. Gordon will get his "respect" but not much else. He'll get his pay and fall into obscurity. Respect and money is all he ever wanted in the first place. The Chargers can do without that kind of pariah. He'll miss 4 or 5 games yearly on another team on his way to a big payday. Whatever teams better OL won't make a difference. He didn't miss games due to our O-line. It's his style of running.

The players are on his side. This is not a distraction for them at all and has zero effect on the locker room.
How Vincent Jackson did at Tampa Bay with a QB who couldnt hold Rivers jock means nothing in this situation.

None of what you said makes a bit of difference. No idea why we are so mad at Gordon yet we would welcome Trent Williams with open arms. Or even Zeke for that mater who has two years left on his deal.
Who this team will miss the most is not Gordon,..... it is Okung.

[dmac_bolt]

This me first meme is tiring. which player isn't interested in getting paid as much as he can? (besides Tom Brady). it is what it is. its a business. its a business when teams cut players who are under non-guaranteed contract, right?

[Bolts4ever213]

I too think he will be back sooner than most expect. Take the offer on the table and be happy. He doesn't need camp, but maybe by week 3. Then again, I'm just guessing like the rest of us.

[richpjr]

Say MG comes back for the last six games, to keep his contract from tolling. What if he gets injured? If he's not active due to injury and misses games, does that screw up his accrual and his contract tolls?

If he gets injured he still gets credit for time accrued.

[Fleet]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...-most-leverage

Leveon Bell owns a once-in-a-generation running style. This month will reveal if his negotiating style was once-in-a-generation, too, or whether Bell's season-long holdout in 2018 -- which resulted in him forfeiting the $14.5 million he would have been paid by the Steelers on the franchise tag before landing a four-year, $52.5 million deal from the Jets in March -- set the groundwork for other players to fight harder for their worth.

This is not the NBA, where guaranteed contracts and forward-thinking players like LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard impressively wield their influence, turning the uneven power dynamic between professional athletes and the front office on its head. NFL player empowerment has a long way to go in comparison, but this year's crop of holdouts offers clues as to how the system is already changing.

Ezekiel Elliott is only entering the fourth year of a five-year rookie contract, withholding his services a full season earlier than Khalil Mack did when he established a template for these sorts of standoffs by forcing a trade from Oakland last year. Saintswideout Michael Thomas skipped work to open camp despite being on his rookie contract and was rewarded with the richest deal for a receiver in NFL history. In the past, camp holdouts usually came from veterans unhappy with the franchise tag. (Jadeveon Clowney is an example this season.) Now, players are seeking their market value earlier and more aggressively than before, no longer waiting for their rookie contracts to end before attempting to secure big raises.

There are five remaining veteran holdouts following Thomas' deal, each with their own unique set of contract complications and pressure points. But who has the most leverage? Glad I asked:

5) Jadeveon Clowney, OLB, Houston Texans

Clowney doesn't quite belong on this list, because he's not technically holding out. Assigned the franchise tag back in March, Clowney remains unsigned, with no ability to negotiate a contract with any team, including the Texans. The July 15 deadline to complete a contract extension beyond 2019 with Houston passed without the two sides coming close to a deal. That's possibly the result of Clowney's injury history and Houston's other contractual commitments to defensive lineman J.J. Watt and receiver DeAndre Hopkins (currently on extensions), with a new contract for quarterback Deshaun Watson(entering Year 3 of his rookie deal) looming around the corner. While no fan will feel sorry for Clowney, the reality is, he's entering his sixth season without yet getting to free agency, thanks to the fifth-year option that came with his being a first-round pick and the franchise tag. That's the type of situation the NFL Players Association should want to avoid when negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. (The current CBA is set to expire after the 2020 season.)

Skipping training camp is just delaying the inevitable for Clowney, who has no intention of forfeiting his scheduled weekly paychecks nearing $1 million. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero spoke to a source who talked to Clowney and said he'd be "shocked" if the Pro Bowler missed any regular season games, so expect Clowney to arrive sometime in late August or early September.

4) Melvin Gordon, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Le'Veon Bell and Gordon have a mutual admiration society, which should be cause for concern among Chargers fans. Speaking on a video taken by Sports Illustrated in 2018 during Bell's holdout, Gordon remarked, "I would (sit out) too ... Come back and get hurt? Why?"

Bell said recently he was "proud" of Gordon for holding out and knowing "his worth," noting the "nice little bond" the two backs have going back to their days in the Big Ten (Gordon played at Wisconsin, Bell at Michigan State). There are some major differences, however, when comparing their respective holdouts.

Gordon is no Le'Veon Bell on the field. The best form of leverage possible is possessing undeniable, turf-scorching talent, and Gordon falls somewhere below the NFL's top five running backs. Gordon is a difference-maker who can do damage in any situation or on any down, but he's simply not as dynamic as Bell, Ezekiel Elliott, Alvin Kamara or players of that stature. Gordon's production would be difficult to fully replace, but the Chargers aren't just honking when they talk up backups Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson, who both excelled when Gordon missed time a year ago. The running game could survive without Gordon.

The contract Gordon is playing under doesn't help his leverage, either. While Bell was staring down his second straight franchise tag, Gordon is due $5.605 million on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. Gordon can't realistically sit out the entire season, because then he still wouldn't be a free agent in 2020. He'd have to return at some point this season in order to get credit for playing in 2019.

However, it wouldn't be a huge shock for Gordon to miss regular-season games. Like Bell, Gordon seems to be motivated by a higher purpose of adjusting the running back market. Gordon has called running back the hardest position in football outside of quarterback, and he's stressed that you "can't replace a great back" like him. Gordon has said he's prepared to sit out as long as he needs to, while his agent told Pelissero there's a "strong possibility" he'd hold out into the regular season, absent a new deal.

All reporting indicates that the two sides aren't particularly close on a new contract, with NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reporting Thursday that Gordon wants more than the $10 million per year being offered by the team. Rapoport also noted that the Chargers aren't interested in fulfilling Gordon's trade request, another sign this standoff could grow uglier. I don't think the Chargers are going to pay Gordon anywhere near Todd Gurley money (the Rams back signed a four-year, $60 million extension last year, heading into the fourth year of his five-year rookie contract), and Gordon sounds too dug in to take a discounted contract. While Gordon doesn't rank high in leverage, he'd be first on my list of holdouts who could miss regular-season games. As Philip Rivers, Vincent Jackson and Joey Bosa learned, this Chargers ownership group is not afraid to let holdouts drag out.

3) Yannick Ngakoue, DE, Jacksonville Jaguars

Like a lot of stories in Jacksonville, Ngakoue's holdout has stayed mostly under the radar. That's typical of an unheralded career that has seen Ngakoue emerge as one of the game's best pure speed rushers after falling to the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

The Jaguars know Ngakoue, who has racked up 29.5 sacks in three seasons, is dramatically underpaid at $2.025 million, and his price will only go up next offseason, when he's scheduled to reach free agency. But negotiations are complicated by the outrageous contractTom Coughlin handed Blake Bortles last year. Bortles is gone, but the contract is costing the Jaguars $16 million in dead money this season.

Ultimately, a deal is expected to be worked out, partly because Ngakoue does have leverage. The Jaguars know he's a vital part of their present and future. A little too much attention has been paid in Jacksonville to a soft early-August deadline, by which he must show up to ensure qualifying for an accrued season and, thus, unrestricted free agency in a year. But that deadline is meaningless if the Jaguars can work out an extension, and luminaries as wide-ranging as ESPN's Michael DiRocco, Jaguars coach Doug Marrone and CBS' Pete Prisco have all expressed confidence the contract will get done. This is a vital year for Marrone and Coughlin, and they don't appear likely to let this holdout get in the Jaguars' way.

2) Trent Williams, LT, Washington Redskins

The ultimate leverage is the ability to walk away, and Williams may already be gone from Washington for good, if only in his mind. The seven-time Pro Bowler might be the game's best left tackle when healthy, and he doesn't have a ton of competition for the title of best Washington Redskins player of the decade. He's not happy with his contract, but his absence from training camp goes deeper than that because he's frustrated with the Redskins' medical staff.

That enmity is why the Redskins have apparently changed their outlook regarding Williams in recent days. When camp opened, coach Jay Gruden said he expected Williams back soon. A week later, the team signed Donald Penn to play Williams' position. Penn revealed to reporters that he spoke to Williams before joining the team, a sign that everyone involved knows exactly where this situation is headed.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported Wednesday that Williams is now on the trade block, and teams like the Texans, Browns or Patriots make for logical landing spots. If the Texanscould get a second-round pick in exchange for Duane Brown two years ago, perhaps the Redskins could land something similar for a player who is only 31 years old and could someday get Hall of Fameconsideration. His current health, which is a mystery, is the biggest X-factor. Still, exceptional talent and financial security are two excellent sources of leverage, and Williams has plenty of both. He should be an ex-Redskin before long.

1) Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

On paper, Zeke may have the worst case for a new contract of anyone on this list. He has two years left on his rookie deal, and his top-five-pick rookie contract was fully guaranteed. While he's been a standout since hitting the field, he was suspended six games in 2017 for violating the league's personal conduct policy stemming from domestic violence allegations.

Elliott doesn't play on paper, however. He plays for an owner in Jerry Jones who is desperate to win now, has a history of paying stars handsomely and is already incredibly invested in Elliott's career after pushing for him to be drafted No. 4 overall and building the offense around him. Cowboys executive Stephen Jones is in too deep to say now that he doesn't want to sign any market-setting contract.

The negotiations are complicated by a report from NFL Network's Jane Slater that the Cowboys don't like how the Rams' deal for Todd Gurley is structured. Jerry Jones said last week the team doesn't necessarily need a rushing champion to win a Super Bowl. These are nice hardball tactics to employ in late July or early August, but Jones hasn't found the formula to even win a Divisional Round game for more than two decades.

Elliott, convinced of his worth after Jones' ceaseless praise for three years, is well aware of his value to the team and Jones' desperation to go further in the playoffs. That should be all the leverage Elliott needs.

[richpjr]

Melvin Gordon, Ezekiel Elliott holdouts: Two interesting twists to RBs refusing to report to teams

The CBA has a couple interesting twists as it relates to the Gordon and Zeke holdouts

by Will Brinson
The two most prominent NFL holdouts right now feature a pair of former first-round running backs, with Melvin Gordon and Ezekiel Elliott holding out from the Chargers and Cowboys. Gordon and Elliott want money at the worst possible time, with the NFL issuing a widespread devaluation of the position, a trend only exacerbated by Todd Gurley signing a market-resetting deal last offseason and quickly developing a mysterious knee injury that may or may not affect his health and performance long term.

Gurley's deal took what was the bar to beat in terms of a contract and turned it into an albatross, this bizarre outlier floating above all other running back contracts. As a true unrestricted free agent who sat out a full season to hit the market, even Le'Veon Bell (himself not aided by the cheap performance of James Conner) couldn't beat Gurley's deal.

Apparently Gordon's been offered something in the range of $10 million a year from the Chargers -- essentially they've been willing to buy out his 2019 fifth-year option salary and a pair of tag years at a reduced cost; it gives him money now and reduces long-term risk while letting them end any drama for the next few years -- but it's not enough and he is demanding a trade. Good luck with that!

So how will this saga end? Let's dive in on some of the issues. Will anyone trade for Gordon?

Nope. Not for what the Chargers are going to want in return. They control his rights for basically three years. He's not cheap, but he's highly productive and a former first-round pick. Someone will need to give up a pretty good pick -- one that could be used on a cheap rookie running back! -- and then also cough up a huge deal.

As Brady Quinn pointed out on the Pick Six Podcast Friday, it's just not happening.

"I don't find that happening any time soon. If his own team isn't going to pay him, I don't think there are other teams out there who will pay him what he's looking for," Quinn said. "I don't see many teams knocking down the door to offer long-term extensions to running backs anymore." What can the Chargers fine him?

As I was perusing the NFL's collective bargaining agreement (it's a fun way to spend a Thursday), Gordon can actually be fined much more than people might have thought.

Here's Section 7, Article (g) of the CBA, which contains has a specific clause for Fifth-Year Option players who hold out:

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Article 42 or Article 4, after the Club has exercised its Fifth-Year Option, any unexcused late reporting to or absence from preseason training camp by a player in the fifth League Year of his contract (the option year) shall subject the player to a fine of $30,000 per day, plus one week's regular season salary for each preseason game missed.

This is kind of a big deal. Gordon has a $5,605,000, one-year contract for this season. Which means he's slated to earn 17 different $329,705.88 checks. The NFL can fine him for four of those if he holds out in the preseason, meaning his maximum earning potential for 2019 would suddenly be shrunk by $1.318 million. The Chargers can obviously waive those fines, but if they wanted to be jerks about it, they could shrink his earning potential significantly. Even more so if Gordon holds out for an extremely long time. (More on that below.) How long can he actually stay away from the team?

Gordon already has four accrued seasons under his belt, so he's eligible for free agency. His No. 1 concern needs to be making sure his contract doesn't toll. This is where things get a little tricky. I talked with Joel Corry, former sports agent and now my colleague at CBS Sports, and he believes the decision on a contract tolling -- essentially rolling over into the next season on the same terms -- would probably come down to how an arbitrator interprets precedent. And Corry thinks Joey Galloway is that precedent.

Galloway skipped four preseason games and eight regular-season games in the 1999 season looking for more money from the Seahawks. The Seahawks tried to toll his contract and keep him in 2000 under the same terms. An arbitrator ruled Galloway met the minimum standard for time played and the Seahawks were forced to franchise tag him.

With the new CBA ruling that six games active equates to an accrued season, it is probably safe to suggest that a player would need to return by Week 10 to prevent a contract being tolled. Or perhaps Week 9 if you're Gordon -- the Chargers have a bye in Week 9. If Gordon holds out until Week 9, he wouldn't earn 9/17th of his salary, meaning he could potentially lose as much as 13 weeks of pay. Gordon could play basically less than half the year and end up making just $1.318 million and then get hit with the tag again next year.

Gordon has implied he's willing to miss regular-season games. Does the Lev Bell situation apply here?

No, Le'Veon Bell's situation does not apply here. Remember, Bell played out his rookie deal and then played one more season after being franchise tagged by the Steelers. It was on his second tag that he held out for the full season, and Bell never signed his franchise tender. So he wasn't under contract like Gordon or Elliott.

If Gordon wants to get into Bell territory, it would require a second lengthy holdout, at which point he would be 28 years old having sacrificed his two prime earning years.

Worth noting: one player holding out where accrued seasons matter a lot is Yannick Ngakoue, the Jaguars pass rusher. He only has three years of service, so he needs to meet the minimum six-game threshold in order to qualify for unrestricted free agency. Although, as Corry notes, if he didn't hit the four years, Ngakoue would become a restricted free agent and be a highly coveted player, so the Jaguars would likely just franchise tag him. Will the Cowboys pay Zeke?

It's a tough question with no real answer, honestly. The Jones family is borderline impossible to read with the various different things that come out of their mouths over the course of the year. For months, Zeke is the straw that stirs the drink and suddenly Elliott is just a running back.

My sense of it is that they would love to pay Zeke, Jerry Jones particularly would, but they will only pay him now if he's willing to take a discount off the top of the market rate. If you're Elliott, and you've led the league in rushing yards per game over the last three seasons, while winning a pair of rushing titles (that would have been three if Roger Goodell hadn't grossly misused his power), are you really taking less money than Gurley or Bell got? I would say no.

That's the crux of this issue. How long can Zeke hold out?

The date Aug. 6 has been bandied about as when he needs to report. But I'm not so sure that's accurate. It is true that if Elliott doesn't report to the Cowboys by Aug. 6 then he can't get an accrued season, but in examining the CBA and talking with Corry, I don't think it matters.

Elliott has three accrued seasons. He needs one more year to be eligible for unrestricted free agency. But he's actually helped by the fifth-year option: the Cowboys have already guaranteed his fourth accrued season in 2020 several years in advance.

If Zeke skipped eight or nine games in 2019, he would likely ensure his contract did not toll and while he might not get an accrued season in 2019, he would head into 2020 needing just one more year to get that four years. The Cowboys could stop him from accruing that season by negating his fifth-year option -- it's guaranteed for performance only -- but that would involve cutting him, thereby making him immediately an unrestricted free agent.

It's a sneaky piece of leverage for Elliott, even though he would simply find himself in roughly the same spot Gordon is now next year at this time.

The reality is the new CBA not only reduced the earning power of rookies on their initial contracts, but it easily extended the amount of time a team can hold onto a young player while also making holdouts substantially more difficult.

Add in the decline of the running back, at least from a value and investment perspective, and it becomes quite the pickle for both Elliott and Gordon.