The Melvin Gordon Saga - Holdout Over

[powderblueboy]

Imo, it's not about whether Gordon has earned a big contract. It's about whether it is a wise investment for the Chargers or any team. The more I read the more I come to realize that paying Gordon what he is seeking is not a good investment for the Chargers. I don't think that the compensation he is seeking would be a good investment for any team. That is not a knock on Gordon as a person or even his talent, it is just brutal reality. I wish and I hope that Gordon would come to accept this reality before too many bridges have been burned for him to return to the Chargers. He probably won't earn significantly more than what the Chargers are offering him now, and in the short time he has left in his career his best shot at getting a ring is probably with the Chargers this and the next few seasons. If he forces his way out he probably won't have that chance with another team and he probably is not going to earn that much more money. I feel he is being heavily influenced by his agents, who probably have their best interests at heart and not Gordon's.

Gordon realizes this - that's why he wants to get paid now. He might not be worth David Johnson money, but he's worth a hell of a lot more than 5.6 million dollars if he were a free agent. To put it in perspective, Joe 'freekin' Barksdale was earning the same amount to not block for Gordon.

If he's franchise tagged next season, & then let go after that, he'll be 28 years old. That will be one big pay year & then he's possibly done.

From a cold blooded football perspective, signing him to a 4 year contract probably would be a mistake. That's the dilemma.

If it were me, given the uniqueness of the running back position, i'd sweeten the pot this year and try to push it off. Those who say that will add incentive to other first rounders in their 4rth year...well, meet that bridge when it comes. If the Chargers stick to their 'successful' ham handed tradition this time, that doesn't mean Bosa won't try it next year. But then again, everyone wants to resign Bosa, so what exactly is the point of being inflexible now?

[Steve]

You're right, I'm a jealous, worried nerd freaking out!
I should just be a fan that's content to complain about management "dragging feet".

Save this post for next year when we're talking about Bosa
then save it again for the next year when we're talking about mike Williams
our cap will be completely destroyed by then and watching our guys win championships in New England

But at least MG will get the money he deserves.

Signing RB to $15 mil per season contracts is what wrecks a team's salary cap, not letting him leave.

NE doesn't pay most of their players all that well. Brady is not even close to the highest paid QB. Few of their other players are the best paid at their positions either. They tend to let guys walk if they are going to command top dollar. They do pay a few guys at the top of the pay scale, but even they are rarely the tippy top of it.

To some degree, the Chargers have to keep drafting and developing talent. There will always be played being allowed to leave and make top money elsewhere.

I don't think this is going to come out well for Gordon. He is only as productive as he is in fantasy terms because he is close to being used as a featured RB. If we have another player who can stay healthy, you would likely get similar production from them if you can feed the ball to them. Same with a committee of backs. Gordon has struggled to stay healthy in the early part of his season when RB stay healthy. There is not much chance he is going to get any better. I don't think any RB is worth more than Donta Freeman type money ($8.25 mill per season), let alone what Gurley, Johnson and Bell are getting. In fact, his asking price is almost exactly 2x what he is probably worth (IMHO).

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27167732/barnwell-why-chargers-extend-melvin-gordon-contract

[jamrock]

It doesn't even matter if MG "deserves to get paid"
if the organization doesn't think it's in the best interest of the team, they obviously shouldn't do it.
I think there's a fair debate going on here whether or not it's in the organization's best interest
i'm as worried as anyone about not having our best rb
but we can't send the message to other players that their agents can take things public, and the organization will respond.

They knew MGIII wanted to renegotiate. I guess they didnt budge. It didn't go public immediately. This is the result of frustration

[Steve]

From a cold blooded football perspective, signing him to a 4 year contract probably would be a mistake. That's the dilemma.

There is nothing wrong with signing a 4-year deal with Gordon.

The key is how it is structured. That was why Bell didn't sign the larger contract with Pitt last year. The deal was for 5 years, and only had $10 mil guaranteed in it. Pitt would have been able to cut him after a year or two with no trouble. They are a high-risk position, that has a history of injuries.

The teams that get the best long term production out of RB are the ones that do the RB by committee thing. Of course, they also don't pay them very much, because they have multiple guys to pay.

[SDFan]

BS. We don't need to be worried about caving or setting a precedent.

And I think most y'all are insane. This is a super bowl window that slams shut if you don't pay the guy. We don't know how long Rivers has left but we know it's not long. Why any of you worried about the potential of him not playing out his contract or having dead cap space or just having too much cap space in RB....we are talking about a chance at a Super Bowl and we have never one won ever before if you didn't know. Take off your salary cap nerd hats, drop your jealousy that the guy makes a lot of money, stop worrying about a guy who's earned his trying to get his, take a deep breath and stop freaking out. I think this gets done and there's really nothing to see here other than once again management dragging their feet getting a contract done trying to get the best deal.

where are you coming up with this Super Bowl window stuff? This team most certainly does NOT have a Super Bowl capable OL. Get 1 of those and maybe I change my mind- or maybe pretty much any decent RB can run well behind it and produce like Gordon? They have 2 above average WRs (when they are healthy) and a significant drop off to TB.Then unproven guys. Same with CB. Same with LB. They can field 2 decent starters then what? They got badly outcoached by Bellicheat when it counted most last year and overpaying Gordan doesn't fix that- does it?

[blueman]

I think the most damning thing against paying him $$$ is, we beat KC without him.

Moving forward with whatever we can get for him in trade is better than paying him upwards of $8 mil per year.

[Topcat]

Here's Nick Canepa's take on Gordie:

Column: Give Melvin Gordon money he wants? Meh, Bolts can win without him

He's a solid running back, making two Pro Bowls, but he has played in every game just one season

By Nick Canepa Columnist July 13, 2019 3:54 PM

Sez Me ...
Question, regarding something many San Diegans still care about:
Should the Judases part with what remains of their 30 pieces of silver, roll over and give tailback Melvin Gordon what he wants?
The NFL Team That Used To Be Here, run by that spending fool, Fredo Spanos, suddenly has a hitch in its getalong as it approaches what was hoped to be an uneventful training camp.

Gordon, entering the final year of his deal signed after he became the team's 2015 No. 1 draft choice, is set to make $5.6 million this season. He/his agent says he will not report to camp at Costa Mesa Lima Bean Farm or play at all in 2019 unless he makes what the NFL's other top backs make.

That would be around $13 million a year.

If not, he wants to be traded, preferably to a team where he won't get hurt.

Is he worth it? Can the J's win a Super Bowl -- and they're firmly in the conversation -- without him?

It's easy to say: "Yes, they should." If you know me at all, my favorite positions in team sports are running back, center fielder and point guard (the ones who can pass).

It's not my money and Fredo can afford him -- if he wants to afford him.

Hate to say this, and although I like Gordon, the answer is no. He's not worth it. I'm not going to go berserk whatever their choice, but Melvin is one of those players who sees an injury and can't avoid it.

He's played in every game one season -- 2016, his only thousand-yard (1,105) year. He made it for 14 games in 2015, 13 in 2016, and he missed four games in 2018.

You have to play. Can he be counted on?

Tough one. It's not easy giving up on a back who made two Pro Bowls. But he has a glass body, and I like my tailbacks ambulatory.

I refuse to buy into the modern notion that backs aren't important. But, as we have seen, while running is a good thing, you don't need Gale Sayers to win Super Bowls.

The Patriots won February's Super Bowl by power running vs. the Rams (154 yards). In the AFC championship game vs. K.C., they ran for 176 and four TDs. In the AFC divisional playoff vs. the linebacker-deprived Judases, 155.

The Pats' bellwether? Sony Michel, a good back, not Jim Brown.

Can the J's win without Gordon?

They went 4-0 without him in 2018.

How much does making a good impression in an L.A. market in which they've left no mark come into play? The renters move into Stan Kroenke's fabulous mansion in 2020, and they supply material that makes up the bottom of the barrel in Angelenos' sporting interests.

But the J's are to marketing what pitmasters are to vegans. They care about how much they make rather than how they look.

I have no yolk in this egg. If they sign him, fine. Their business and, if nothing else, I enjoy watching him run -- when he can.

But understudies Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson combined for 760 rushing yards in 2018.

That's a lot of money for uncertainty. ...

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...hargers-salary

[Topcat]

I think the most damning thing against paying him $$$ is, we beat KC without him.

Moving forward with whatever we can get for him in trade is better than paying him upwards of $8 mil per year.

The other most damning thing against Gordie is he is threatening to breach his contract. He signed it. He's legally on the hook for it. Be a man, shut up, honor your contract, THEN when you become a FA, go ahead and squawk all you want about how much u think you're worth, and we'll see if u have any takers...

[powderblueboy]

The Pats can do things other organizations can't. If this were not so, failing to sign your best front 7 defenders would be the rage.

[Fleet]

[jamrock]

where are you coming up with this Super Bowl window stuff? This team most certainly does NOT have a Super Bowl capable OL. Get 1 of those and maybe I change my mind- or maybe pretty much any decent RB can run well behind it and produce like Gordon? They have 2 above average WRs (when they are healthy) and a significant drop off to TB.Then unproven guys. Same with CB. Same with LB. They can field 2 decent starters then what? They got badly outcoached by Bellicheat when it counted most last year and overpaying Gordan doesn't fix that- does it?

Lost Ty Will. Can't lose another productive player and expect to win a title. We actually do have a super bowl window open right now. We don't have a powerhouse OL which is all the more reason to keep our #1 RB out there

[Caslon]

I think the most damning thing against paying him $$$ is, we beat KC without him.

And Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh.