Melvin Gordon, entering his fifth season in the NFL and thus still on his rookie deal, is dissatisfied with his contract with the Los Angeles Chargers and is taking those frustrations public:
Los Angeles running back Melvin Gordon has informed the Chargers that unless he receives a new contract, he will not report to training camp and he will demand a trade, his agent Fletcher Smith told ESPN.
Elite backs in the NFL persistently face this issue. The five-year deals for first round picks lock them in at below market wages, and then when they hit their mid to late twenties the teams say they are nearing the end of their useful lives. Last year, Gordon missed four games with an injured knee, but when he was playing he averaged over five yards per carry. Gordon is slated to make $5.6 million this season.
Off the top of my head, if they could make the compensation work the Packers would be a great fit for Gordon. He is from and played college football at Wisconsin, and is the threat to catch passes out of the backfield that Aaron Rodgers has been sorely lacking. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rain Man:
Is there a big market for running backs who have averaged under 4.0 ypc for the bulk of their career?
SHHHHHHH
Charger fans dont like to talk about that. They prefer his career stats that make him look a little better, so lets only talk about those please. [Reply]
The more I think about it, this is hilarious. The guy is a terrible running back.
He's started 16 games 1 season out of 4.
He's averaged more then 3.9 ypc 1 season out of 4.
The only year where he got more than 4.0 ypc, he missed a quarter of the season.
He's fumbled 10 times in 4 years, even though he's missed 12 games during that span.
I hope this guy is a Charger for life. He's a street free agent under any analytical microscope, and yet he thinks he's a star. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rain Man:
The more I think about it, this is hilarious. The guy is a terrible running back.
He's started 16 games 1 season out of 4.
He's averaged more then 3.9 ypc 1 season out of 4.
The only year where he got more than 4.0 ypc, he missed a quarter of the season.
I hope this guy is a Charger for life. He's a street free agent under any analytical microscope, and yet he thinks he's a star.
He also had tremendous difficulty learning the playbook for his first two seasons. If the Chargers ever make a coach/system change, look out. [Reply]