Melvin Gordon is insistent upon not playing another down for the Los Angeles Chargers without a new contract, and he is apparently willing to follow in Le’Veon Bell’s footsteps if he doesn’t get his wish.
Gordon’s agent, Damarius Bilbo, told multiple media outlets on Thursday that Gordon will hold out from training camp and demand a trade if the the Chargers don’t sign him to a long-term extension. He also would not rule out the star running back skipping regular-season games.
Melvin Gordon’s agent, Damarius Bilbo, tells me there’s a “strong possibility” Gordon could sit out into the regular season, absent a new, market-value deal with #Chargers. “But we want to focus on getting something done before training camp. There’s a long way to go to Week 1.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 11, 2019
Bilbo also told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that Gordon feels “disrespected” by the contract offer the Chargers made to him.
“He’s worked his butt off and the fifth-year option is a result of where he was drafted. It’s what it is,” the agent said. “But if we’d gotten a respectable offer, we wouldn’t be here. But he felt disrespected. He’s very serious.”
Gordon is set to earn $5.6 million in the final year of his rookie contract in 2019. The 26-year-old totaled 1,375 yards from scrimmage last season and scored 14 touchdowns in just 12 games. He has been talking about wanting a new contract since the start of the offseason, and he seems committed to putting as much pressure on the Chargers as possible.
