After interviewing running back Melvin Gordon during Super Bowl week, one of his handlers asked with more than a whiff of derision whether I told Gordon during the conversation that his 2019 holdout was a mistake.
“No,” I replied. “He knows.”
Indeed he does. And he admitted it on Friday, during an introductory conference call as a member of the Broncos.
Asked whether he regrets holding out into the regular season, Gordon was candid.
“I probably would come back,” Gordon said, via James Palmer of NFL Media. “Just because of 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. I started out slow and being able to catch my stride toward the end of the season, but then it’s too late.”
Gordon missed four games due to the holdout. He finished with 612 yards rushing, averaging 3.8 yards per carry. He added 296 receiving yards and scored nine total touchdowns.
That didn’t stop the Broncos from giving him a two-year, $16 million contract -- a very good deal in light of the current market, even if it’s less than what he rejected last year from the Chargers.
