As the regular season draws closer and closer, it's easy to expect the contract dispute between Melvin Gordon and the Los Angeles Chargers to come to a close. Gordon, after all, is one of the best running backs in football, and Los Angeles has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations on the strength of arguably the league's best collection of talent on both sides of the ball.
Gordon certainly has the tools to thrive outside of Los Angeles, and the decreasing importance of traditional runners means the Chargers could contend for the Vince Lombardi Trophy without him, too. Regardless, it goes without saying that both parties would be best served by continuing their partnership. One problem: The Chargers, three weeks away from the regular season, still won't meet Gordon's financial demands.
ESPN's Adam Schefter provided the latest update on the status of Gordon's holdout and accompanying trade demand, reporting no progress in contract talks and that the two-time Pro Bowler is even prepared to sit out the regular season if the situation isn't resolved.
Chargers and Melvin Gordon have not made progress towards a new deal, per sources. Gordon still wants to return in time for the regular season, but he is prepared to sit out if no new deal is reached, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 15, 2019
Chargers management has been adamant throughout the offseason that Gordon is a valued member of their team and organization. General manager Steve Telasco even said earlier this week that despite Gordon having missed all of training camp and given no indication he's willing to rescind his trade demand, Los Angeles still views him as its starting running back.
A first-round pick in 2015, Gordon averaged a career-best 5.1 yards per carry last season en route to 885 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, also adding 50 catches for 490 yards and four scores despite being limited to 12 games due to injury. The 26-year-old will be a free agent next season if he doesn't sign a new contract.
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