NFL Insider Claims Eagles Made a Run at Melvin Gordon Trade But Chargers Rejected it
By Michael Luciano
Now that Ezekiel Elliott has signed a record-breaking contract with the Dallas Cowboys, the only star running back still refusing to suit up is Los Angeles Chargers star Melvin Gordon, who is trying in vain to get Chargers GM Tom Telesco to cave in and pay him what the market says he is worth.
Gordon has been the subject of a flurry of trade rumors, with the Philadelphia Eagles having been mentioned as one of the most active suitors. Turns out, their supposed offer has been revealed; they allegedly pledged to ship the Chargers running back Jordan Howard and a mid-round pick in exchange for Gordon, but LA declined.
Did a little digging around on the Melvin Gordon trade market. To give you an idea of where it is, only offer I came across was from Philly.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 4, 2019
In that deal, Jordan Howard would go to LA, the teams would swap mid-round picks, and the Chargers would eat salary. LA obviously said no.
Howard is coming off of a season in which he ran for 935 yards and nine touchdowns while adding 145 yards as a receiver. He may not be on Gordon's level, but he's established himself as a Pro Bowl level runner.
As fun as it would have been to pop Gordon next to Carson Wentz in Doug Pederson's offense, it appears that LA is set on receiving a first-round pick in exchange for Gordon in any trade.
Most runs of 10-or-more yards since 2016:
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 3, 2019
Ezekiel Elliott: 110
Jordan Howard: 93
Todd Gurley: 91
Melvin Gordon: 85
Gordon can be a game-changing back as a runner and receiver, and the Chargers know that. Howard would have been a fine return, but it looks like LA wants to go fishing for one of the many elite running backs in the 2020 draft if they can't sign Gordon.