It's been quite the last few months for Melvin Gordon. The veteran running back initially sought to re-sign with the Los Angeles Chargers last summer, but he wasn't sold on the offer(s) the team put on the table. As such, it led to Gordon holding out with the expectation he'd ultimately get the contract he was angling for, but the club instead decided to table all talks until 2020 free agency -- the holdout eventually ending without a new deal having been agreed to. Gordon went on to have an uneven 2019 that stole the luster from his brand and admits the holdout likely fueled the downturn, going on to sign a two-year, $16 million deal with the Denver Broncos that was far from what he was seeking only months prior.
For contrast, reports are that the Chargers had offered him as much as $10 million per year but Gordon waved it off at the time, and now Austin Ekeler -- who signed a less-expensive four-year, $24.5 million deal in Los Angeles -- sits atop the RB depth chart. Ekeler had a career-best season that truly took off in Gordon's absence but never waned during his return, and as the latter readies to suit up in Colorado, he feels the new system he'll operate under is better for him than the one he leaves behind in California.
"It really didn't play out to my strengths, especially the first couple years there," Gordon said, via the 'RapSheet and Friends' podcast. "I kinda just had to adjust and make it work. It kinda wasn't a system built for me. But I feel like Denver kinda runs my style of football and I think it's a great fit."
In 12 games last season, Gordon logged 11 starts but delivered a career low in rushing yards (612) and his 296 yards receiving were the lowest output in the category since his rookie season (192). He did log eight touchdowns, showing his ability to play power football when called upon to do so, but it was Ekeler being viewed as the more versatile back.
Gordon now joins an offense led by former New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur, someone who knows a little something about coaching top running back talent from his time spent with Saquon Barkley.
While no one will ever confuse Gordon -- a Pro Bowler in his own right -- with Barkley, the fact Shurmur isn't afraid to feed running backs early and often should play to Gordon's liking. It would certainly be a departure from what he saw in his final year in Los Angeles, where it wasn't necessarily that the Chargers weren't feeding him, but more so that he stepped away from the table and allowed Ekeler to take food off of his plate. Operating under only a two-year deal with the Broncos, Gordon needs to make sure he scrapes every morsel off of the platter.
He expects Shurmur will help him do just that.
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May 20, 2020 at 09:53PM
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Broncos' Melvin Gordon: Chargers system didn't 'fit my style,' excited about 'great' one in Denver - CBS Sports
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