Should the Packers make a trade offer for Melvin Gordon?
The Green Bay Packers shouldn’t make a trade offer for running back Melvin Gordon.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Thursday that Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon won’t report to training camp if he doesn’t receive a new contract. Gordon would also ask for a trade.
That’s potentially huge news for not only Gordon, but for the Chargers, who have one of the league’s best offenses. And Gordon is a big reason why the offense is so dominant.
In four seasons with the Chargers, Gordon has 5,205 all-purpose yards and 38 touchdowns. And he’s now entering the final year of his current contract.
If Gordon doesn’t agree a new deal with the Chargers and requests a trade, there will be no shortage of interest from around the league. He can make any offense better, and that includes the Green Bay Packers.
Gordon would be a significant addition to the Packers’ offense, especially considering the difference he can make as a receiver.
That said, if the Chargers are open to trading Gordon, the Packers shouldn’t make an offer.
Any team that trades for Gordon will also likely need to agree a long-term deal. That wouldn’t be easy for the Packers, who, according to Over The Cap, only have $8.5 million remaining in cap room. Even if they could make a deal work for the 2019 season, the cap hits in future years could prevent the Packers from re-signing just about anyone next offseason.
Gordon’s new contract could be similar to the deals Todd Gurley and Le’Veon Bell signed over the past year. Gurley signed a new four-year, $60 million deal with the Rams in 2018. Bell’s deal with the Jets is worth $52.5 million.
The Packers don’t have the cap room to take on another big contract.
It’s also fair to assume the Chargers would want a high draft pick in return, which would be tough for the Packers to do when you also factor in the contract and the fact they already have Aaron Jones on the roster.
And that brings us to the final point, which is Jones. The Packers’ third-year back has the talent to have a breakout season. With a featured role in a premier offense, Jones could finish among the top running backs in the league in 2019.
It’d be fun to see Gordon line up in the Packers’ offense, but it’s a move the team shouldn’t even consider. As talented as Gordon is, the price of the contract would make a move almost impossible.
And with Jones on the roster, it’s not a trade the Packers need to make.