The San Diego Chargers are starting up offseason workouts and Philip Rivers remains with the team after heavy trade speculation at the draft and he could be in line for a contract extension and this comes as Melvin Gordon will push to start at running back and as safety Eric Weddle is staying away with a bit of a holdout while looking for a new contract.
The Chargers come into the season after just missing the playoffs last year and now Rivers returns as the starter at quarterback. According to the Union-Tribune San Diego, Rivers is willing to listen to an offer about a contract extension and this comes as he is heading into the final year of his contract in San Diego. There were numerous reports this offseason about the possibility of Rivers getting traded, but the team did not come close to making a deal.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Chargers were rumored to be looking to Marcus Mariota and they could have traded Rivers to the team to get a deal done. Rivers said that he is fine playing out his contract in San Diego and now he could be willing to sign an extension. Rivers may want a smaller sized extension when it comes to years, as he is wary of moving to Los Angeles if that happens with the team. Rivers has had a strong run over the past couple years with the Chargers and he has been playing well for the team.
Rivers now has some more offensive weapons coming in, as the Chargers traded up in the draft to take Melvin Gordon out of Wisconsin. The team traded up two picks to get Gordon and he was the second running back off the board in the draft. According to Josina Anderson on Twitter, Gordon is going to get a chance to start for the Chargers, as he is the best natural runner they have on the roster with Ryan Mathews gone.
Gordon comes in after rushing for over 2500 yards last season and he comes in after scoring 45 touchdowns in college. Gordon likely will start over Branden Oliver, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown on the roster, as he can rush up the middle and was as productive as any back in college. All three of those players are not as polished as Gordon and they all are better receivers out of the backfield and likely will split that role. Gordon had just 22 catches in college, but he will be used as a feature back instead.
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 deal. The mandatory minicamp for the Chargers doesn't start until the middle of June, so both side shave time to work things out or to dig in their heels. Weddle is 30 years old and he comes in with a $7.5 million salary this season and according to Union-Tribune San Diego he feels "highly disrespected" by the team.
