{"id":68563,"date":"2019-07-16T17:45:28","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T21:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=68563"},"modified":"2019-07-16T17:45:28","modified_gmt":"2019-07-16T21:45:28","slug":"melvin-gordon-situation-call-his-bluff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/07\/16\/melvin-gordon-situation-call-his-bluff\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing the Melvin Gordon Situation: Call His Bluff"},"content":{"rendered":"

As most of you probably know by now, Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> running back Melvin Gordon<\/a> <\/strong>wants a new contract. And he is threatening to hold out through training camp and possibly into the regular season if he doesn\u2019t get it. And he wants to be traded if the Chargers won\u2019t pay him. How should the team handle this situation?<\/p>\n

Well, first let\u2019s go over the options. First, there\u2019s giving him the deal he wants (along the lines of Todd Gurley<\/a> <\/strong>and Le\u2019Veon Bell<\/strong>). Then there\u2019s the option of trading him. And finally, there\u2019s doing nothing and waiting to see if Gordon shows up eventually \u2013 whether that\u2019s at the end of preseason, by Week Two, or not at all. The last option \u2013 waiting him out \u2013 is the best out of all those.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Chargers Should Not Pay or Trade Melvin Gordon<\/h2>\n

Why Not Pay Him?<\/h3>\n

The first option was paying Gordon the deal he wants (which would probably be in the neighborhood of $15 million a year). Before we discuss the value of running backs, there\u2019s one other thing to consider: the Chargers are cheapskates. They never hand out mega-deals. Regardless of whether we think he deserves it or not, the Chargers are not going to overpay Gordon.<\/p>\n

And now there\u2019s the elephant in the room \u2013 are running backs even worth that kind of money anymore? The fact is that running backs can be interchanged relatively easily these days. Last year we saw James Conner<\/strong><\/a>, Damien Williams<\/strong><\/a>, and C.J. Anderson<\/strong><\/a> all come in for their respective starters and do quite well. And the other problem is that running backs on average have a much shorter shelf life than most other positions. Why overpay somebody that may not even play an elite level for the duration of that contract? It almost becomes easier to just recycle out running backs in the draft. Sometimes there are special running backs where it could be worth it, but when even a guy like Gurley can be injured and a backup can literally come off the street like Anderson and be key in them getting a playoff win<\/a>, that doesn\u2019t exactly do wonders for the market value of running backs.<\/p>\n

Gordon is 26, so he\u2019s already probably two-thirds of the way through his career. Even if the Chargers were willing to pay him, they should probably save the money for Joey Bosa<\/a><\/strong> or Keenan Allen<\/a><\/strong>, who will likely be expecting big contracts as well in the near future.<\/p>\n

The Chargers Backups<\/h3>\n

So who would Gordon be interchanged out with if he wasn\u2019t on the field this year? The main answer would be Justin Jackson<\/strong><\/a>. There\u2019s also Austin Ekeler<\/strong><\/a>, but he\u2019s better as a receiving back than a runner. Jackson would do just fine in the stead of Gordon; he showed some nice ability last year as a backup and also starter in the few games where Gordon was injured. He picked up 206 yards and averaged 4.1 yards a carry with two touchdowns.<\/p>\n

There might be apprehension about whether Jackson could handle being the main starter. The thing is, he actually already has \u2013 in probably the biggest game of the regular season during primetime, no less. In the Week 15 game against the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> that ended with that epic winning two-point conversion, Jackson actually was the starter. Both Gordon and Ekeler were out. Jackson got 58 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown \u2013 not spectacular, but he held his own. And more importantly, the Chargers got the win.<\/p>\n

Gordon Has Little Leverage<\/h3>\n

The idea for Gordon is that he is an elite level running back and that the team would suffer without him. The former is mostly true; the latter just isn\u2019t. It\u2019s a lot like the Le\u2019Veon Bell situation with the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> last year. As good as Bell was, the incentive to pay him disappears a lot when the backup comes in and also performs at a high level. (Yeah, the Steelers missed the playoffs, but that certainly wasn\u2019t Conner\u2019s fault.) Jackson was the starter in a hugely important game late in the season and played good enough to help his team win (though that win was more on the strength of Philip Rivers<\/a> <\/strong>and Mike Williams<\/strong><\/a>). As good as Gordon is, there doesn\u2019t seem to be incentive to overpay him when they can still beat a top AFC team like the Chiefs with Jackson. Keep in mind that at the time he was technically a third-string running back.<\/p>\n

Now, this doesn\u2019t mean that it wouldn\u2019t be nice to have Gordon instead. It certainly would. And that\u2019s why they shouldn\u2019t just trade him either. Instead, they can just ignore Gordon for now. Because the other thing to keep in mind is that Bell sitting out the entire season last year was a rare situation. Historically, it\u2019s unlikely Gordon would do the same thing. It\u2019s more likely that he continues to holdout and threaten to not play\u2026 and then shows up after missing one or two games.<\/p>\n

Last Word on Melvin Gordon<\/h3>\n

The fact is, Melvin Gordon just does not have the kind of leverage he thinks he does. The team would not suffer dramatically (if at all) without him around. And it\u2019s not that likely that he would sit out the entire season. This kind of tactic usually ends up being a bluff. And the Chargers should call that bluff and see what happens. If it turns out that Gordon really wasn\u2019t kidding, then there\u2019s probably not as much harm done as one might think. And then they can address the Gordon situation next off-season when they\u2019re more prepared for it.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>