Melvin Gordon and the Los Angeles Chargers, evidently, are making progress toward a new contract for the star running back. On Thursday, Gordon told ESPN's Wendi Nix that he would report to his team's mandatory minicamp next week as extension negotiations between he and the Chargers are underway.
@Melvingordon25 tells @WendiNix_ESPN on NFL Live that he will report to mandatory minicamp. Also negotiations have started with the Chargers and his representation on a contract extension, but no deal yet. Gordon is in the final season of rookie deal, set to make $5.6 M in 2019.
— Eric Williams (@eric_d_williams) June 6, 2019
Gordon has been absent for the extent of Los Angeles' offseason activities thus far, leading to speculation that he could be holding out in hopes of receiving a new contract. After the Chargers picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract last spring, Gordon is set to make $5.6 million in 2019 before becoming a free agent after the season.
In early March, Los Angeles general manager Tom Telesco said that though he hoped to retain Gordon and multiple other key incumbents eligible for an extension, the team's first offseason priority would lie elsewhere.
“He’s a great player. We’ve got him and a number of other guys that will look at extending at some point,” he said of Gordon, per Chargers Wire. “I don’t have a timetable on those guys, but we’ve gotten to the point if we’re going to say our philosophy is to draft, develop and re-sign, we want to extend those guys we’d like to have back long-term. But I don’t have a timetable on anything like that.”
Gordon, a two-time Pro Bowler, 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.
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