The San Diego Chargers may work on a contract extension with Philip Rivers before the season starts after he was mentioned in trade rumors this offseason and this comes as the team is not planning to give Eric Weddle a new deal while he is holding out from camp, while rookie Melvin Gordon has been impressive and could start for the Chargers in 2015.
The Chargers nearly made the playoffs last season, but they just missed out over the final weeks and now the team is looking to get even better. The team bring back Rivers after he was connected to a trade for the second overall pick in the draft and the team could look at signing him to an extension. Earlier in the offseason it looked like the team would not come close to giving Rivers an extension, but now that camp is getting started soon, the winds have changed a bit.
According to the Union-Tribune San Diego, the Chargers "continue to have interest" in giving Rivers a contract extension and this comes after he said earlier this year in camp that he would be "open" to listening to an offer. The team reportedly was "optimistic" in May that a deal could get done and that could happen sometime in training camp or before the season. The reportedly is not talking to Weddle about a contract and he may hold out for the rest of training camp before coming in ahead of the start of the season.
Melvin Gordon is coming into a good situation, as he likely is the best true runner of any of the backs on the San Diego roster. Ryan Mathews is gone in free agency to the Eagles and while Donald Brown, Branden Oliver and Danny Woodhead give the team depth, Gordon could be the best option. Gordon rushed for over 2500 yards last season and had 45 touchdowns in his college career and that could help him push to start for the Chargers.
Gordon was impressive in rookie minicamp according to Kevin Acee from the Union Times San Diego and he has the "inside track" to the starting job. The Chargers traded up to get Gordon and now he has the chance to be the feature back with Ryan Mathews gone. Gordon has had some fumbling issues in college, but that is something that can be fixed with coaching. Woodhead missed time last season and played in just three games and having Gordon could help him get back in shape this offseason with a bit less pressure on him.
The team is also dealing with Eric Weddle, who has been away from workouts and is looking for a new contract this offseason. According to ESPN.com, Weddle wants a new deal and he said that he is not coming to offseason workouts "anytime soon" and clearly he is not happy with his current contract situation. Weddle is 30 years old and he comes in with a $7.5 million salary this season.