Three teams who should trade for Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon
Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is the latest candidate to be moved in the coming weeks.
The Los Angeles Chargers took Melvin Gordon in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft and he has been a superb running back for the team the past four seasons. Throughout his four year career, Gordon has piled up 3,628 yards on 897 attempts (4.0 yards per carry average) and 28 touchdowns.
He also has been an impact player in the passing game racking up 182 receptions while being targeted by Phillip Rivers 243 times. Melvin Gordon has 1,577 career receiving yards while tallying an additional 10 touchdowns in the air. Simply put, he has been one of the premier running backs in the entire NFL in recent years.
The Los Angeles Chargers picked up Gordon’s fifth-year option for 2019, which is the last year of his rookie deal. On Wednesday, the Chargers learned that Gordon will not report to training camp without a contract extension and has asked for a trade if they cannot make the new contract happen.
The Chargers will have until July 24th to try and negotiate a new deal so this situation does not become a distraction during training camp. If it gets to the point where he starts missing training camp, he’d forfeit $40,000 a day. The Chargers will need to decide soon whether it is worth paying him an extension or to trade him.
If Gordon gets an extension he’s going to want to be paid like a top running back in this league. Based on what the top running backs in the league have been able to command in recent contract extensions, the Los Angeles Chargers will likely need to fork up at least $10-12 million a year for four or five years to lock down Gordon to a long term deal. He will likely even ask for more than that.
If a new deal doesn’t happen the Chargers are going to have to trade him or deal with him sitting out for an extended period of time. We don’t want another Le’Veon Bell situation from a year ago, so the Chargers hope for a quick solution.
If a trade ends up being the best solution here, there will be plenty of teams interested in the Los Angeles Chargers star running back. Let’s look at the teams who make the most sense for Gordon.