Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco knows he's not likely to see Melvin Gordon anytime soon as the running back sits poised to hold out into the regular season.
Telesco enters his seventh season as the Chargers GM, owning a 50-50 record in his first six years, including playoffs. The 46-year-old told the team's broadcast during the final preseason tilt versus the 49ers that he knows Gordon's importance to the Bolts but is ready to press forward as the season draws near.
"I'm disappointed it has lasted this long. I pride myself in having solutions to problems, and I haven't solved this one yet," Telesco said, via ESPN's Eric Williams. "We know what he means to our team, and even bigger than that what he means to our organization. But the other side is we have a big game coming up this week with the Colts, and I'm confident in the players that we have on the field right now will play well."
One thing Telesco could do to solve the problem is to move off the $10 million-per-year offer he's given Gordon. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport previously reported that the Chargers aren't willing to go higher than that for a running back, and Gordon believes he's worth more. Hence the holdout Telesco can't seem to solve.
With the 2019 campaign quickly approaching, Gordon looks likely to miss a chunk of games. He must report by Week 10 in order to get credit toward free agency or his $5.6 million contract will toll to next season.
Unless Telesco finds some creative way to get Gordon back that doesn't include bowing to contract demands, it seems the Chargers will press forward to Week 1 with Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson taking the snaps in the backfield.
