NFL Rumors: Los Angeles Chargers Could Trade Melvin Gordon To Fill Some Glaring Holes
The Los Angeles Chargers have some holes to fill and one discontent playmaker, and one columnist thinks that one of those problems can help solve the other.
Los Angeles Times columnist Dylan Hernandez believes that the team may be able to take holdout running back Melvin Gordon and flip him to another team for some players that can help fill out the injury-depleted roster. As Hernandez wrote, the Chargers are without some of their key pieces and the injuries played a major role in the team’s Week 2 loss to the Detroit Lions.
“Left tackle Russell Okung remains sidelined after suffering a pulmonary embolism caused by blood clots,” Hernandez noted. “Safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips are on injured reserve. Tight end Hunter Henry is out with a fractured knee. Cornerback Michael Davis has a hamstring injury and is listed as doubtful.”
The columnist suggested that the Chargers could address some of these holes by seeking a trade for running back Melvin Gordon, who has been holding out in search of a new contract. Gordon had been seeking a new deal that would pay him around $13 million to $15 million per season, which would put him among the highest-paid running backs in the NFL. The Chargers countered with an offer of $10 million per season, which Gordon’s camp rejected.
The Chargers publicly announced that they would not be doing any more negotiating until after the season, and Gordon has sat out both of the team’s first two games. While Gordon would still need to report by November in order to get credit for the final year of his contract, there is some thought that the team may ship him out before that point.
Gordon has already said that he will be playing somewhere this year, and the running back has sparked rumors with his own social media posting. Before the season started, he took to Instagram to like the Philadelphia Eagles and several of the team’s players amid rumblings that the Chargers were in trade talks with Philadelphia.
Just this week, he sparked more rumors by liking a video of a Buffalo Bills fan dropping his infant gently through a small white table — which is a tailgate tradition for the team’s rowdy fans. There is no indication that either the Eagles or Bills are interested in Gordon, however.
Melvin Gordon says he’s “going to play somewhere” this year because it’d be a “waste of talent” if he didn’t.
(via @eric_d_williams) pic.twitter.com/1xSgqYICo0
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) September 19, 2019
The Fansided blog Bolt Beat had already speculated that the Chargers may trade Gordon to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for fellow discontent superstar Jalen Ramsey, who has also asked for a trade, but is still playing for the Jaguars as he seeks a new home.
It’s not clear if either scenario would be likely, as both reports noted that the Chargers have traditionally been a very conservative franchise, and trading Melvin Gordon would be seen as an outside-the-box move for the franchise.
