Chargers RB Melvin Gordon does not plan to report for week 1

Since Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon first announced his holdout, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he would miss regular season games. When the team gave him permission to seek a trade, it became even less likely that he would report. Now, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Twitter, we know that Gordon will not be with the team when they play the Indianapolis Colts.

Gordon is undoubtedly one of the 20 or so most talented running backs in the National Football League. He is arguably among the top 10 or even the top 5 at the position. Unfortunately for him, the value placed on that by the NFL does not match what he hopes to be paid and as such he finds himself in an ongoing standoff with the team that traded up to draft him years ago.

Eventually, Gordon will have to report if he wishes to receive credit for completing the final year of his rookie contract. Unfortunately for the Chargers, the date he needs to report by is not for a couple months.

Ultimately, neither the player nor the team is likely to be happy with how things play out during this process. And as fans of the team, we will probably be in for hearing this same news every week until Gordon has to join his teammates.