The Melvin Gordon Saga - Holdout Over

[beachcomber]

If the Chargers don't get something done with Gordon, Jerry Jones will, with his RB. Gordon might go for a signing bonus that even he can't ignore.

The huge question is whether they think they can do without a Gordon, play with an aging QB and "that" diminishing window , and play it like "we'll draft a RB in the first round next year." "We're fine this year." absolutely on all counts.

IMO, you're not. Two competent and complimentry RB's to a top ten running back like MG was fine. It was working.

Asking same of those two complimentary RB's as your main running attack this season is iffy. Whiz isn't that much of a wiz. perhaps true re: the Whiz, albeit make no mistake about things.... this is an AL led/inspired running attack.

What might happen is Rivers throwing to receivers more than he would prefer. De ja Vu. if you're calling "receivers," our RBs and TEs.... then again, absolutely.

If Jerry Jones signs Elliot somehow, and the Spanos' play hardball with MG, things might get discouraging for this team, this season. $10m is a far cry from hardball.... MG is worth the $5.6m due him this year and not much if any more than that.

Playbooking around MG. Carry on. Playbooking around Ekeler and JJ? A challenge if you ask me. Unprovens in someways.

TT to Whisenhunt? Get it done?

get what done ?? the Rivers' window is two years.... we will draft an RB, and have taken another step toward a SB by season's end.

[oneinchpunch]

I don't get what Melvin is trying to accomplish. He has no leverage

[chargeroo]

I don't think anyone is viewed as a workhorse. They will probably have a very similar snap count between JJ and Ek.

I have a hunch JJ will become the replacement for MG. He was the main man at NW for four years. If he can do that against the Big Ten competition, he's pretty tough. Of course, I hope Gordon will be back - that would be best.

[Bolt-O]

from florio:

Players who have leverage should use it, up to and including holding out in order to get their best possible financial arrangements. But players also should be careful not to overplay their hand, and that continues to be what Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is doing.

He has missed all of training camp, subjecting him to daily fines of $30,000 per day. And yes, it's only $30,000 per day for him (not $40,000), one of the quirks of the fifth-year option.

But the other quirk of the fifth-year option is that, for every preseason game he misses, Gordon can be fined the full amount of a regular-season game check. At a fifth-year salary of $5.605 million, that's more than $329,000 for the Week One preseason game, $329,000 for the next one, and a potential total fine of $1.316 million if he misses all four of them.

Meanwhile, the Chargers aren't budging. Why should they? Gordon isn't Ezekiel Elliott or Saquon Barkley or Christian McCaffrey, currently (in my view) the three superstar tailbacks in the NFL. For the Chargers, it makes far more sense to move on with what they have, as quarterback Philip Rivers had said (even if he shouldn't have said it) than to give Gordon a market-value contract.

That same thinking applies to the other 31 teams, or someone would have tried to trade for Gordon by now. That's not going to happen, because a new team would have to pay him more than his skill and his position justify, and a new team would have to give the Chargers something better than the third-round compensatory pick they stand to get in 2021 if Gordon leaves via free agency in 2020.

As previously explained, sitting out the full year won't help Gordon like it helped Le'Veon Bell, because it won't make Gordon a free agent. Gordon's contract would toll into next year, and he'd be in the same position that he is now.

In 2012, then-Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew held out for all of training camp and the preseason, before blinking. The sooner Gordon blinks, the lower the bill will be when he finally walks through the door.

[moneyisevil]

Only if its a 3rd rounder or better. Or a starter. Better off getting the compensation for him.

Should be a first rounder and we'd get that, or a quality LB or DB !

[richpjr]

Should be a first rounder and we'd get that, or a quality LB or DB !

I would be shocked if we got a first round draft pick. We'd be lucky to get a 3rd given that he also wants a big contract. I think he sits, eventually reports and leaves as a free agent next season.

[Velo]

I would be shocked if we got a first round draft pick. We'd be lucky to get a 3rd given that he also wants a big contract. I think he sits, eventually reports and leaves as a free agent next season.

I'd like to think MG is worth a 2nd, but a 3rd is probably more likely. Look at all the good RBs drafted in the 3rd round in the past several seasons. David Johnson, Kamara, Hunt, Conner... The only way a team would offer a 2nd for Gordon is if a contending team's top back goes down and they make a desperation offer.

[Fleet]

Should be a first rounder and we'd get that, or a quality LB or DB !

You may be right. He may be worth a 1st rounder. But not with the contract he will demand. I just dont think a team will invest that much into the RB position unless its a player coming off Barkley/Zeke type production. I love Melvin. He was my guy leading up to the draft. He has worked his ass off and deserves to get paid. But the offer is legit at 10M. He compares himself to players who have done it and got paid. Its almost as if he wants to get paid for what he will do. He is injured often. He has a sub 3.9 YPC in all but one season. Most of his TDs are goaline. And he plays in a system that will get 95% of RBs in the league massive amounts of catches. He needed a couple years to get really good. The elite RBs in the league came in from the start and dominated. And after 4 years hes still not on that level.

I think the contract at 10M per now is a bit high. Especially if Rivers gets massive money. I simply dont want to lose players at harder to draft positions for a RB that is easily replaceable in the draft.

But i will also be the first to tell you that if im the GM and i let Gordon walk i would probably target one of the best 4 RB's in the draft. Taylor, Etienne, Harris and Swift would all be slid picks at 32.

[blueman]

JJ will shine. And no, do not ever draft RB that high again.

[like54ninjas]

You may be right. He may be worth a 1st rounder. But not with the contract he will demand. I just dont think a team will invest that much into the RB position unless its a player coming off Barkley/Zeke type production. I love Melvin. He was my guy leading up to the draft. He has worked his ass off and deserves to get paid. But the offer is legit at 10M. He compares himself to players who have done it and got paid. Its almost as if he wants to get paid for what he will do. He is injured often. He has a sub 3.9 YPC in all but one season. Most of his TDs are goaline. And he plays in a system that will get 95% of RBs in the league massive amounts of catches. He needed a couple years to get really good. The elite RBs in the league came in from the start and dominated. And after 4 years hes still not on that level.

I think the contract at 10M per now is a bit high. Especially if Rivers gets massive money. I simply dont want to lose players at harder to draft positions for a RB that is easily replaceable in the draft.

But i will also be the first to tell you that if im the GM and i let Gordon walk i would probably target one of the best 4 RB's in the draft. Taylor, Etienne, Harris and Swift would all be slid picks at 32.

The 2020 RB draft class, if several of the non-seniors come out, looks to be deep.

Feaster, Dobbins, Sermon, Vaughn, Bradwell, Warren II, Corbin are others I like for us.

[Fleet]

The 2020 RB draft class, if several of the non-seniors come out, looks to be deep.

Feaster, Dobbins, Sermon, Vaughn, Bradwell, Warren II, Corbin are others I like for us.

Tons. And with an additional 3rd rounder it wont be hard to get one. Unless the Philon release hurts that comp pick. I really think after the declarations next year RB could be the deepest group in years. Its a perfect time to let Gordon walk. But still that doesnt help us this year in the even that JJ isnt the answer. I think he will be though. If he does well....we could just fatten up the OL and make he and Eks job even easier.

OL/CB are sort of my early team needs. I would guess that most early mocks also have those positions. Do we keep Hayward next year with his huge cap? And draft a CB #1 to replace him? Maybe Davis and Williams flounder this year. But i really do think this DL will create so much damage that the DBs....even if just better than average...will reap the rewards. I like the pieces we have now. But going forward i want to get Rivers in that new stadium for at least 4 years. So build a monster OL.

[Fleet]

The Irony....