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Melvin Gordon has lived up to his word. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, The two-time Pro Bowler will sit out of the Los Angeles Chargers' season-opening matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday as he scours the trade market for potential suitors to end his stalemate with the organization.
Chargers running back Melvin Gordon does not plan to report for Week 1 as he sorts through potential trade options during his holdout, according to a source. My understanding is only a new development would bring him in.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) September 2, 2019
A significant development in the long-running dispute between Gordon and the Chargers occurred over the weekend when they permitted him to seek a trade from competing teams. Los Angeles had previously resisted calls from Gordon and his camp to be allowed to talk with other teams about a potential trade, limiting the likelihood his holdout from football would be resolved before Week 1.
Gordon began skipping team activities in late July, hopeful that his absence would spur the Chargers to re-negotiate his contract ahead of the regular season. Instead, management has held firm in contract discussions, refusing to meet Gordon's demands to be compensated as one of the best running backs in football.
Shortly after his holdout began, the four-year pro requested a trade from Los Angeles, leading general manager Tom Telesco to insist that he remained an integral piece of the organization's present and future. Telesco subsequently went so far as to say that he still viewed Gordon as the Chargers' No. 1 running back despite no tangible progress in contract negotiations that would have potentially ended his holdout.
Los Angeles recently informed Gordon that it would no longer engage in contract talks until after the regular season, likely erasing any realistic hope of him returning to the team in 2019.
