Chargers running back Melvin Gordon joined the team on Tuesday after skipping offseason workouts. The pro bowl running back is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and the Wisconsin product stated that both sides have had preliminary talks on a new contract.
“I would love to have it done so I don’t have to worry about that,” Gordon said following the first practice of minicamp. “I could just come in and work and do what I need to do. I don’t want any problems or anything like that.”
Gordon is a two-time pro bowler who had knee and hamstring issues in 2018 but says working out in Florida with his personal trainers helped him get back to 100 percent.
“I’ve been grinding to get back right,” he said. “I want to do what I can do to help this team win. I kind of felt later in the year, in the playoffs, I wasn’t my best. That kind of sucked not being at my full potential.”
He is optimistic a deal can get done, but if it doesn’t Gordon did not dismiss the possibility of sitting the 2019 season.
“I don’t know, man,” Gordon said, “I’m just trying not to talk about it. If it’s going to happen, it’ll happen. When it does, I’m pretty sure you guys will know.”
The running back position isn’t valued the way it was during past eras. Teams believe they can get productivity out of the position without investing a large chunk of cap space on a player that could have a limited shelf life. The New England Patriots have won Super Bowls with a rotating cast of running backs. Last year then Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell sat out a whole season because he felt he wasn’t being offered what he was worth.
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“It’s an issue with everybody else,” Gordon said. “But I know my value. I know what I bring to this team, and I’m sticking with that. Todd’s paid, so Todd don’t care what anybody says right now — him or David Johnson — they can say what they want to say. They signed the dotted line. But unfortunately, I haven’t yet, so I’ve got to take the heat for some of the stuff that they’re going through. But I’m not them, and like I said, I know my value.”
Now in the past general manager Tom Telesco has waited until around the training camp to get contract extensions done with players entering the final year of their deal. Telesco has stated on numerous occasions that they want to get a deal done with the fifth year back.
Gordon’s scored zero touchdowns as a rookie. In the three years since he has put the ball in the end zone 38 times, which is second to Gurley’s 46.
