NFL Trade Rumors: Chargers' Star Requests Deal, Melvin Gordon Wants More Than $10 Million Per Year

If the Los Angeles Chargers aren’t going to meet Melvin Gordon’s contract demands, the running back is hoping another team will do so. Gordon’s agent has told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he asked the organization for a trade last week because the two sides remain apart in negotiations for a new deal.

Gordon wants more than the $10 million a year the Chargers are willing to pay him. According to Anderson, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco denied Gordon permission to find a trade partner for Los Angeles.

As he enters the final year of his contract, Gordon is holding out from training camp. The running back is set to be paid $5.6 million for the 2019 season, having made $4.636 million in the first four years of his NFL career.

Gordon is probably looking for a yearly salary that compares to what Toddy Gurley and Le’Veon Bell will earn. Gurley set a record with a four-year, $57 million extension last summer. Bell landed a four-year, $52.5 million contract from the New York Jets in the offseason.

Ezekiel Elliott is also holding out from training camp in search of a new contract. The Dallas Cowboys’ running back has two years left on his deal.

Gordon is among the NFL’s best running backs, though injuries and a sub-par offensive line have prevented him from consistently putting up big numbers. The 26-year-old rushed for 885 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games last season. The 2017 season was the only year in which Gordon played more than 14 games or rushed for over 1,000 yards.

Gordon averaged a career-high 5.1 yards per carry in 2018.