The Los Angeles Chargers and Melvin Gordon have been caught in what has become an ugly back-and-forth for basically the entire summer. It seems a divorce could be coming.
Though fans likely don’t want to see it, the best thing for the Chargers to do at this point is to get some kind of return for the disgruntled running back. The Chargers have made it clear that the extension he is looking for is not coming before the end of the season and that has left things at a standstill.
However, ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweeted out that at least one team is interested in trading for Gordon:
I'm told one team has been in preliminary communication with the #Chargers in attempt to vet out a potential trade for 2015 1st-round RB Melvin Gordon, per source.
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) September 3, 2019
Whichever team she is referring to is a mystery, but one immediately jumps to thinking of what the Chargers could be looking for in terms of what they get back for the former first-round running back.
A first-round pick and a fifth-round pick? According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, that is what the Chargers are looking to get in return. Oh, and by the way, that team would also have to agree to pay Gordon’s salary, likely at the rate that he’s asking the Chargers for.
That seems like a lot to ask, but if this one team stays in trade talks, a deal could eventually be struck. Will the Chargers get what they’re reportedly asking for, or will this mystery team talk them down a bit?
Here are some other NFL trades across history and those times have obviously changed, many star running backs and former first-round picks have been dealt at the running back position.
In a similar situation way back in 1987, Eric Dickerson felt he should make more money than the Los Angeles Rams were paying him. After the two sides couldn’t reach a deal, the Rams engaged the Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts in a three-team deal.
The Colts gave up Cornelius Bennett, who they were also unable to come to contract terms with after drafting him and the Rams ended up with a huge haul in future draft picks.
In perhaps the most infamous trade in NFL history, the MInnesota Vikings decided to send everything in Minneapolis aside from one of the city’s lakes over to the Dallas Cowboys for Herschel Walker.
The Cowboys were able to select Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson with two of the future draft picks they received and this trade, as much as just about anything, helped the Cowboys become a dynasty in the 1990s.
The Colts and Rams got together again in 1999 and this time, it was the Colts sending their star back to the Rams. Much like with Dickerson, it was about a player feeling he deserved more money than his contract had him earning.
Like Dickerson, Faulk also ended up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In this deal, though, the team giving its player away didn’t get as much in return. This deal seems more along the lines of what the Chargers might be able to get right now.
In 2013, the Colts were at it again, this time going after one of the league’s top young running backs once more.
Trent Richardson was coming off of a solid rookie year with the Cleveland Browns and after just two below-average games the following season, the Browns shipped him off for just one pick.
Richardson never returned to his rookie form and washed out of the league not long after. For those wondering, the Browns then used that pick to trade up a few spots in the draft the following year and select Johnny Manziel.
This trade didn’t work out for anyone.
This is just an idea of some trades that have featured running backs in NFL history and in many of these scenarios, the back getting moved was unhappy with his pay. If there is a team that believes enough in the talent of the 26-year old Gordon, a first and fifth-round pick is possible as a return.
History shows there have been far more outlandish deals.