Green Bay Packers should try to trade for Melvin Gordon

The Green Bay Packers should try to trade for Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon. They have assets and money to do it.

The Los Angeles Chargers are probably not sprinting to their phones to try and find a trade partner for star running back Melvin Gordon, but other teams probably should at least give Tom Telesco a call.

One team who should be particularly interested in Gordon?

The Green Bay Packers.

Gordon is reportedly holding out for a new contract and if he doesn’t get one, he’s going to demand a trade. The Chargers are under no obligation to give Gordon — who would be fined for missing practices and games at this point — any new money until they see fit.

Committing a bunch of guaranteed money to a fifth-year running back who has played one 16-game season is a scary idea for any team, but especially for the Chargers who have so many young, star players who will need new contracts in the somewhat near future.

The Packers, however, present a pretty ideal trade partner for Gordon and the Chargers if they want to go that route.

Gordon is a Wisconsin native. He had initially committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes in high school but rescinded his commitment and ditched the Hawkeyes for the Wisconsin Badgers. He was a superstar at Wisconsin in high school and in college, running his way to becoming a first-round pick of the Chargers in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Returning to his home state of Wisconsin is an intriguing prospect but why would the Chargers send him there?

The Packers can probably afford to part with some draft capital here. They’ve finally proven they are willing to spend in free agency, dishing out almost $210 million in total contracts this offseason when they had barely exceeded that spending amount from 2011-2018 combined.

Green Bay could find the money to pay Gordon, and they obviously have a need at the running back position.

Although Aaron Jones has shown promise, the Packers would probably be intrigued at the possibility of pairing Gordon with Aaron Rodgers in their offense, giving their star quarterback the best running back he would have ever had in his time with the Packers.

Here’s a trade package I wonder if either team would say ‘no’ to.

That seems like a steep price for the Packers to pay, but a second-round pick and a third-year running back would be a small price to pay if it gained you an NFC title and a shot at the Super Bowl.

Why would the Chargers do this?

They have a solid change-of-pace back in Austin Ekeler who has been one of the most effective per-snap backs in the NFL over the past two seasons, and they would also be getting back a starting caliber player (Jones) in return along with a great draft choice, even if it ended up being at the bottom of round two.

The Chargers could also still sign a player like Alex Collins or Jay Ajayi and use a running back by committee approach in 2019.

The Packers are also an NFC team, and although the Chargers play the Packers and the rest of the NFC North this year, they would only see him once every four years or if they met in the Super Bowl.

If the Chargers aren’t wanting to pay Gordon, which would be understandable, the Packers would be a great trade spot.