Melvin Gordon is enjoying his new surroundings after the free-agent running back officially signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Denver Broncos.
While Gordon stays in the AFC West, the 26-year-old does regret the way he handled his contract situation during his final year with the Los Angeles Chargers in a conference call with reporters Friday.
“I probably would come back. Just because my legacy of what I’m trying to do as a player and the mark that I’m trying to leave. Obviously, those are games I can’t get back,” Gordon said of his holdout on NFL.com. “I started out slow and being able to catch my stride toward the end of the season, but then it’s too late. I would say more so for my legacy and what I can do for a career as a player more so than anything else.”
After holding out in the preseason and the first three games of the 2019 season, Gordon did not get the lucrative $10 million dollar annual contract he wanted and set things in motion to leave the Chargers after five seasons.
Gordon felt he was valued enough to receive a top level offer due to his dual-threat ability to run the ball and his catching ability out of the backfield. But the Chargers did not honor his trade request and Gordon struggled averaging only 3.8 yards per carry and scored eight touchdowns. The team finished at the bottom of the AFC West with a 5-11 record. Gordon felt a strained relationship toward him in the Chargers locker room because of the holdout.
“At times it was definitely difficult,” he said. “You kind of felt some tension, or I kind of felt some tension walking around. But I just tried my best and to just keep a smile on my face and show up to work every day.”
Even though he received only $13.5 million guaranteed to join the Broncos, Gordon does not think he is the player that stepped on the field in 2019. He will be part of a backfield attack including 1,000-yard rusher Philip Lindsay and full-time starting quarterback Drew Lock, who ended last season with a 4-1 record.
Answering the critics is something Gordon wants to do head on as his performance last season mirrored the Chargers’ woes and is looking to bounce back with his new team.
“To me, I’m going to take that and I’m going to use it as fuel, because I know what type of player I am, and I want to show that,” Gordon said. “I want to show that, and I am going to show that. I’m going to show everybody that I’m better than just average.”