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 RealSNR:
RBs these days know how expendable they are and that they're the position group most likely to get fucked over in terms of collecting a payday for the amount of abuse their body takes. They're starting to rebel. Bell did that, and now Gordon is at it. It's getting to the point where you won't be able to do that with RBs if you hit on a really good one.
Now, if I were a GM, if Gordon came up to me with the demands he gave the Chargers, I'd say, "That's nice, sweetie" and trade the guy's ass. The market is shit, so I still might not get a decent return for the trade, but I got my good player for a couple years, got some draft picks in return to spend on more young players, and best of all, I'm more than likely still going to come out on top, because the RB's replacement will probably be just fine.
Only problem is that you need another GM to be willing to do exactly what you won’t do and give up picks to boot. Easier said than done. [Reply]
Gordon doesn't have the durability or the track record to really fetch much in a deal. You let him play out his deal, thank him for his service and let him walk and recoup a future 3rd/4th round comp choice. [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
Barkley is definitely awesome
But I just don’t think the difference in a generational running back and simply a good running back is worth overspending
You are overlooking the fact Barkley was pretty much as safe as a pick as you can get. Sure taking RBs in later rounds they might turn out to be good but they might suck as well.
Originally Posted by Valiant:
How did that guy collapse so bad during the season and playoffs? I know he got paid, but damn.
I think the pendulum against running backs has swung too far. At some point the savvy teams will be picking up great running backs at bargain prices, and they'll reap advantages from it. You can't tell me that a team isn't better with Jamaal Charles at running back instead of Montee Ball or Melvin Gordon. [Reply]
Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy:
Stop making this into a science question. Barkley is way better than Fisher could ever hope to be. Period.
The notion that you 'have' or 'can never' draft a certain position is what leads to draft busts. There are so many variables to that question there is really no absolute answer like some of you all want to make it out to be. It is also why most of you on here would suck at being a GM.
I’m not of the opinion that you never take a RB in the 1st. Every year, every pick, every team, every prospect etc. is different.
That doesn’t mean that positional value isn’t a legitimate reason to pass on a RB early. [Reply]
Originally Posted by staylor26:
I’m not of the opinion that you never take a RB in the 1st. Every year, every pick, every team, every prospect etc. is different.
That doesn’t mean that positional value isn’t a legitimate reason to pass on a RB early.
RB’s are easy as hell to find. I mean goddamn Damien Williams and Phillip Lindsay were some of the most productive RB’s in the league last year and they weren’t even drafted.
Yeah Fisher is average, but it’s really damn difficult to find even an average LT in the league anymore. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BryanBusby:
Elite players that score a lot of points for you have a lot of value. Glad I could clear that up.
Taking a Barkley, EE or an AP over one Eric Fisher is a no brainer.
And it’s the easiest position to find players that score a lot of points ya and have value without spending a lot of value or money
Especially in a capped league and in the draft you’re taking a player you know you’re only going to have for a max of five years at best because you’re not gonna break off and pay a rb [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
And it’s the easiest position to find players that score a lot of points ya and have value without spending a lot of value or money
Especially in a capped league and in the draft you’re taking a player you know you’re only going to have for a max of five years at best because you’re not gonna break off and pay a rb
It's easy to find elite players? Tell me more.
This is the same stupid aas argument 9 years ago when people were against Berry at 5.
Originally Posted by BryanBusby:
It's easy to find elite players? Tell me more.
This is the same stupid aas argument 9 years ago when people were against Berry at 5.
PoSiTiOnAl VaLuE tHo
No it’s not easy to find elite players
But the difference in an elite running back vs a good one isn’t the same as the difference in an elite player at a different position and a good player [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
No it’s not easy to find elite players
But the difference in an elite running back vs a good one isn’t the same as the difference in an elite player at a different position and a good player