Chargers RB Melvin Gordon Returning To Team After Ending 64-Day Holdout

The Los Angeles Chargers are set to get much-needed offensive help after it was reported Wednesday that two-time Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon has ended his 64-day holdout with the team.

According to ESPN, Gordon reported to the Chargers on Thursday, although he will not be eligible to play this coming Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. However, he would be available to play Oct. 6 against Denver. Gordon had been holding out for a new deal, as his rookie contract was set to expire this season.

The Chargers are 1-2, and although their dual-threat-style running back situation has been decent, Gordon’s comeback will be welcomed. The team currently ranks 13th in RB offense and 5th in total yards.

Gordon averaged over 1,000 yards in 2016 and 2017. He only logged 885 yards in 2018, although he missed four games that season. The running back would have ended with 1,180 yards in 16 games. Most importantly, he also averaged over one touchdown per game.

For his holdout, Gordon could be fined up to $1.2 million and lose almost another million due to games missed. If he returns, he is set to earn the rest of his 2019 base salary, which is about $4.6 million. Gordon’s hope is that if he gets injured, he would have a guaranteed contract for the next three to five years.

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Gordon stated in July that he wanted to stay with the Chargers.

“I want to end up with the Chargers, I mean, that’s my home. I’m not going to sit here and be like, I don’t want to go back to the Chargers. That’s the team who blessed me with an opportunity. They changed my life. Out of all 32 teams, that was the team that called. I can’t forget them for that.”

But he added that he “knew his value” after seeing big contracts being handed out to the Rams’ Todd Gurley, the Cardinals David Johnson and former Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, who is now with the New York Jets. Gordon’s holdout continued after Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys agreed to the largest running back contract in the league earlier this month.

The Chargers have yet to issue a statement regarding rumors that Gordon was returning to the team.

For his part, fellow Chargers running back Austin Ekeler has been doing okay with the ball. Elker has scored two touchdowns in three games and is averaging 58 yards per game. Justin Jackson has only gotten six carries per game, but he has made the most of it with a 7.9 average yards per carry (mostly due to a couple of breakaway plays of 24 and 40 yards).