The Melvin Gordon Saga - Holdout Over

[jamrock]

Yeah that is the common response im getting. I think it just shows that im really wanting him this year. Because im willing to overlook the long term ramifications of doing something like that. lol Which is bad business. And im not a bad business guy. But its the Superbowl. And i dont want another year of struggling in the run game like we did prior to Gordon. Hes set to break out huge this year.

Yeah I see that we have to save up for Bosa a lot from the same guys who hated him for holding out as a rookie and then forget that he missed 9 games last season and had zero impact against the Pats. But Bosa is somehow irreplaceable and MGIII is expendable. And I happen to love Bosa

[Topcat]

I never even heard this....

Gordon has two agents, Damarius Bilbo and Fletcher Smith. What's up with this 2 agent thing, anyways? Maybe THAT'S why he wants more $$$--unlike most normal athletes who have just one agent, Gordon has to worry about paying TWO of them...

[Topcat]

Yeah I see that we have to save up for Bosa a lot from the same guys who hated him for holding out as a rookie and then forget that he missed 9 games last season and had zero impact against the Pats. But Bosa is somehow irreplaceable and MGIII is expendable. And I happen to love Bosa

Simple market economics--Bosa is a top shelf DE based on his first two seasons. Gordon is NOT a top shelf RB. Also, top shelf DE's tend to command top dollar, even compared to top shelf RB's...aside from QB's the next top earning position players are DE's like Mack and Donald, who are in the top 10 earners last year, surrounded by QB's and 1 WR (Beckham)...no RB's in the bunch...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2018/09/20/the-nfls-highest-paid-players-2018-aaron-rodgers-leads-with-76-million/#52ef712c117b

[Budsman]

No, you don't have to sympathize with them. You do have to realize that Gordon has not been a die-hard Charger fan his whole life. It's a business & loyalty probably doesn't extend very far beyond their teammates. On a larger scale, there hasn't been any fealty to community on part of a corporation for a long time. It would ironic to be loyal to an organization that ditched their fan base a few years ago.

[Steve]

Steelers didn't make the playoffs last year. It was a horrible season by their standards. You hear about how Conners was nearly as effective as Bell - i'm not buying it.

There is an element of truth to the RB being less effective without Bell, but it is kinda splitting hairs. More overall rushing yardage, but less efficient with Bell. The RB this past year had more receiving yards and were more efficient.

The bigger issue overall for Pitt was more turnovers by their O (+6), and fewer takeaways (-7) by their D. They were +2 in turnover diff in 2017, and -11 in 2018.

pitt_RB.png

[Topcat]

According to BFTB, Gordon is asking for between $13-15 million a year. Wow, just...wow:

Melvin Gordon is already paid fairly

Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is without question one of the National Football League's very best at his position. Last season, he rushed for 885 yards on 175 rush attempts. He was ranked 5th in DYAR behind only Todd Gurley, Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara, and Marlon Mack. He finished 3rd in DVOA behind only Gurley and Henry. He has become what the Chargers hoped he would when they traded up to the 15th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft to select him.

Gordon says he wants to be paid what he is worth. Sports Illustrated reported that he would be willing to sit out an entire season if the team was unwilling to meet his demands. He is currently being paid $5.6 million for the 2019 season (the last remaining year of his rookie deal).

Reports say that what he thinks he is worth is a multi-year deal with an average annual value in the range of $13-15 million. For those familiar with the value of running backs in the modern NFL, that figure is laughable. Running backs, even great ones, are easily replaceable.

Last season, in games without Gordon, the Chargers were still perfectly capable while relying on late-round draft picks, Justin Jackson, and undrafted free agent, Austin Ekeler. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they combined for 125 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Against the Bengals, they put up 129 yards from scrimmage and another score. The following week, they were also without the services of Austin Ekeler, so another undrafted free agent, Detrez Newsome, took his place. He and Jackson combined for 139 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown against the Chiefs.

The Chargers are better with Gordon than they are without him. Of course, they are. Nobody with half a brain would suggest otherwise after watching the 2018 season. That said, they are not that much worse without him.

https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/201...dy-paid-fairly

[Budsman]

Are both parties greedy? Sure. $5+ mil is an obscene amount for 1 year no doubt. Is it obscene for professional sports? No.
The owners pay 48.5% (split between 60+ players per team) to players and keep the other over 50% for themselves + most team derived revenue streams. I guess I always side with the "little" guy when talking salary.

I agree the amounts of $ are all in the ridiculous range. Should he forfill his contract? Sure. Is it understandable for him to use his only real leverage? Sure. Should he/agent be doing in the public view? Not in my opinion. Should the Bokts give him a new deal? No, we have more important players coming up for new contracts that are more valuable to the team

[jamrock]

Simple market economics--Bosa is a top shelf DE based on his first two seasons. Gordon is NOT a top shelf RB. Also, top shelf DE's tend to command top dollar, even compared to top shelf RB's...aside from QB's the next top earning position players are DE's like Mack and Donald, who are in the top 10 earners last year, surrounded by QB's and 1 WR (Beckham)...no RB's in the bunch...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbad.../#52ef712c117b

donald isn't a DE
he and Mack are both monsters. Bosa isn't on their level and has missed a fair amount of time

[Budsman]

The chargers are better off without Gordon for one reason, he doesnt want to be a charger. If he thinks the Chargers would pay him that with all the contracts they are going to need to extend soon he's crazy, and I don't think he or his agents are crazy.

They want to go to a team that is willing to fork out the big big dollars for a splash.

He doesnt want want to be a charger so give him his wish and trade him for some ol help.

According to BFTB, Gordon is asking for between $13-15 million a year. Wow, just...wow:

Melvin Gordon is already paid fairly

Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is without question one of the National Football League's very best at his position. Last season, he rushed for 885 yards on 175 rush attempts. He was ranked 5th in DYAR behind only Todd Gurley, Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara, and Marlon Mack. He finished 3rd in DVOA behind only Gurley and Henry. He has become what the Chargers hoped he would when they traded up to the 15th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft to select him.

Gordon says he wants to be paid what he is worth. Sports Illustrated reported that he would be willing to sit out an entire season if the team was unwilling to meet his demands. He is currently being paid $5.6 million for the 2019 season (the last remaining year of his rookie deal).

Reports say that what he thinks he is worth is a multi-year deal with an average annual value in the range of $13-15 million. For those familiar with the value of running backs in the modern NFL, that figure is laughable. Running backs, even great ones, are easily replaceable.

Last season, in games without Gordon, the Chargers were still perfectly capable while relying on late-round draft picks, Justin Jackson, and undrafted free agent, Austin Ekeler. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they combined for 125 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. Against the Bengals, they put up 129 yards from scrimmage and another score. The following week, they were also without the services of Austin Ekeler, so another undrafted free agent, Detrez Newsome, took his place. He and Jackson combined for 139 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown against the Chiefs.

The Chargers are better with Gordon than they are without him. Of course, they are. Nobody with half a brain would suggest otherwise after watching the 2018 season. That said, they are not that much worse without him.

https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/201...dy-paid-fairly

[Topcat]

donald isn't a DE
he and Mack are both monsters. Bosa isn't on their level and has missed a fair amount of time

Okay, Donald is a DT, but he's played a lot at DE, especially earlier in his career. If Bosa posts numbers similar to his first two seasons in his next two seasons, I think he will come close to commanding a Mack and Donald-like deal...maybe a notch lower than the both of them, but still close to top dollar...but true, Bosa needs to stay healthy...any more injury issues and that impacts his value...

[Fleet]

Yeah I see that we have to save up for Bosa a lot from the same guys who hated him for holding out as a rookie and then forget that he missed 9 games last season and had zero impact against the Pats. But Bosa is somehow irreplaceable and MGIII is expendable. And I happen to love Bosa

I think this will be Bosa's year. Lots of little issues have come up for him. Missing camp. Starting late. Being hurt last year. I think he will give us 16 games this year and really break out. His numbers are already really good. But he needs a full season. He just looked off a little bit. And its easier to contain him when the interior DL is really not demanding any doubles. I think Jones and Tillery could really open things up for our pass rush this year. I absolutely want Bosa long term. The thing with him is that i think he could be dominant inside as well. His hands are almost 2nd to none in this league. He will be fine. i get what you are saying...but if i have to replace Bosa or Gordon via the draft id rather have to draft a RB. Its just an easier position to draft. If we dont intend on signing Bosa we sure as hell better get a couple high picks for him.

[jamrock]

I think this will be Bosa's year. Lots of little issues have come up for him. Missing camp. Starting late. Being hurt last year. I think he will give us 16 games this year and really break out. His numbers are already really good. But he needs a full season. He just looked off a little bit. And its easier to contain him when the interior DL is really not demanding any doubles. I think Jones and Tillery could really open things up for our pass rush this year. I absolutely want Bosa long term. The thing with him is that i think he could be dominant inside as well. His hands are almost 2nd to none in this league. He will be fine. i get what you are saying...but if i have to replace Bosa or Gordon via the draft id rather have to draft a RB. Its just an easier position to draft. If we dont intend on signing Bosa we sure as hell better get a couple high picks for him.

Just switch the names around in the above post. The knocks on MG III are similar. We won without MG III in 4 games last year and we won without Bosa last year. Bosa needs a better DL? MG III needs a better oline. Both have great hands