Melvin Gordon is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, and he said earlier in the week that he is going to patiently wait for Le’Veon Bell to set the market before he negotiates his next deal. Apparently the star running back has already changed his mind.
Gordon told NFL Media’s “Around The NFL” podcast on Wednesday that he wants to see what type of contract Bell, who is expected to become a free agent this offseason, signs before he proceeds with his own talks.
“I’m waiting. I’m sitting back waiting, waiting on Bell,” Gordon said, as transcribed by Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register. “I’m glad (the market is) changing because we (running backs) were getting devalued for a little bit. But me, David Johnson, Todd Gurley, I can go down a whole list, Bell, you name it, ‘Zeke,’ just game-changers, Alvin Kamara, all those guys.”
In an interview with Barstool Radio on Friday, Gordon changed his tune. When asked to elaborate on whether he is waiting for Bell to sign a new deal, Gordon said he feels Gurley and Johnson have already set the market and he would sign an extension tomorrow if the Chargers offered him a fair contract.
Melvin Gordon told @BarstoolRadio he is not waiting for Le'Veon Bell's new contract to sign his own. He feels Todd Gurley and David Johnson already set the RB market, so there's no need to wait.
"They tell me to come in tomorrow and sign some papers, I will."
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) February 1, 2019
Gordon is set to make $5.6 million in the final year of his rookie deal next season. Bell is older than both him and Gurley, and he just took a full year off. Gurley signed a four-year, $60 million with the Los Angeles Rams last offseason that includes $45 million guaranteed. Johnson, who is older than all of them at 27, got $39 million — $25 million guaranteed — from the Arizona Cardinals over three years.
In other words, Gordon need look no further than Gurley’s contract. That’s probably as high as it is going to get for a running back, and some of the latest news about Bell made it seem like he is not going to top that deal. Gordon probably realized all that (or his agent informed him of it) after he made his remarks earlier in the week.
