Gordon, 33, admitted missing football “every day“, and it makes sense. He had already made a name for himself before entering the NFL, with a memorable senior year in college. In 2014, Gordon earned unanimous All-American honors as well as the Doak Walker Award as the top college running back after leading the NCAA in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.

It explained why the Chargers (still in San Diego by then) drafted him 15th overall in 2015, and Gordon didn’t let the franchise down. A two-time Pro Bowler (2016, 2018), he also spent time with the Denver Broncos (2020-2022), Kansas City Chiefs (2022), and Baltimore Ravens (2023) before retiring on a one-day contract as a Charger. Flash-forward to 2026, Gordon can look back on his career with plenty of pride as an emotional tribute from his alma mater awaits.

Melvin Gordon reflects on Wisconsin days, reveals expectations for 2026 Badgers

Bolavip: What can you tell us about life after retirement, and what are you currently doing after football?

Melvin Gordon: I golf a lot, man. I golf every day. And then, while I’m not golfing out, just working with different brands. Working with Kickstand Cocktails, just trying to grow my brand, man. Just trying to grow my brand and stay active, and not just sit on the couch and be thinking about football all day.

Bolavip: Do you miss football?

Melvin Gordon: Every day.

Bolavip: And what does it mean to you to be inducted into the Badgers’ Hall of Fame? What do you remember about those years in college?

Melvin Gordon: It means everything to me. I mean, I’m a Wisconsin kid, so I just remember Coach B telling me, “you come here, you’ll be in a position to be remembered forever.” And for that to be a reality for me, it’s been a lot of players that have come through Wisconsin, and now I had this opportunity. So it’s not something that I take lightly. It’s a blessing, man. I’m blessed to be honored in front of a lot of my peers, and a lot of my Wisconsin natives.

Bolavip: Wisconsin faced tough opponents last season. How do you see the program and what are your expectations this year?

Melvin Gordon: Every year I expect us to be good. Now every year, your team might not meet expectations or whatever. I mean, you see the Alabama fans, that’s just for an example. They didn’t have the season that they wanted. But I expect us to be well, I expect us to be good.

I expect us, especially with our schedule, to be able to compete and get in the playoffs. I want us to get in the playoffs. We should have an opportunity to get in the playoffs. We will handle our business against Notre Dame, I think we’ll be good.

I think we have a quarterback that can play throughout the year. I think we’ll be able to win some football games, put ourselves in a position to have our opportunity. I think we’ll be good. I’m excited. They’ve been taking a lot of heat, no one believes in them, and I think that’s the best route to take to get to the playoffs, being doubted.

Philip Rivers’ unexpected NFL comeback in 2025

Bolavip: What was it like to see Philip Rivers come back and play last year in the NFL?

Melvin Gordon: It was dope. I mean, Phil is one of my good friends, man. He was one of my favorite teammates. He’s so competitive, so fiery. He’s just one of those guys that everybody wants to play for, and I was rooting for him to come out and do that.

I don’t think people understand how hard that is. It’s hard being out a certain amount of years and then coming back, and then having to be put in as far as the captain of the team and you leading the ship.

So to be out and come and do that, I was hoping they won because they would have been able to go up against the Chargers in the playoffs, and I think that would have made just good TV and it’d been good for reporters, that’s one of those moments you hope that everybody get a chance to talk about.

So it didn’t happen, but I was glad he was able to go out there and do his thing, and also renew his years on his medical pensions that the NFL got to give him. That was good too, for him and his family.

Expectations on 2026 Chargers and advice for Omarion Hampton

Bolavip: How do you see the Chargers now with this quarterback-coach duo, and how much different do you see this franchise compared to your years on the team?

Melvin Gordon: I mean, it’s always different. Every team got different players, different coaches, different different makeup. This team is definitely not the same as ours. I mean, you still got players like Derwin James and Denzel Perryman that played there when I was there, but it’s just a different makeup.

And [Jim] Harbaugh, we expect him to come in and be great. He’s won at every team that he’s been a part of, and I don’t expect anything less. I was just there, I did some interviews with them and I was able to watch them practice, and I’m excited.

I’m excited, you know, they’re not like really crazy, heavy hitter names, but you don’t need that. You just need a team full of guys that just want it more than the next team. So it’s just a big camaraderie, that’s what football is. In the end, that’s the team. The team that knows how to play together, that’s the team that gets the furthest. So I think they’re able to do that. It’s early, but I think if we can stay away from injuries, we’ll always have a chance to get at that Super Bowl.

Bolavip: And what do you see in Omarion Hampton, another first-round pick in your position? What’s your advice for him?

Melvin Gordon: I was just talking to him. He’s really chill. He doesn’t speak too much. He’s bigger than I thought, and he’s fast. So he’s well-rounded, man. So my advice to him is just to go out there and do your thing, be who you are. Just remember why they drafted you. You don’t have to get into any comparisons with anybody.

Like I said, the makeup is different. This is your time, you’re the starting running back for the Los Angeles Chargers. Your time will come and go like everyone else’s. Like mine, like LT’s (LaDainian Tomlinson), like Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead’s, your time as a Charger will come and go. And it’s just for you to make the best of it. So, just put yourself in the best position to win, and do what you can to be in a position to win a Super Bowl, because you’ll be remembered forever.

Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Russell Wilson

Bolavip: Your journey also included a brief but very fruitful time with the Chiefs. You played for the Broncos and Ravens as well. But what was it like to work around Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and being around the team during that Super Bowl win?

Melvin Gordon: Yeah, it gave me just a different perspective of how things are supposed to be, just from their perspective. Andy Reid, he’s one of the best coaches out there, I’m not going to lie to you. I mean, just the way they ran practice, structure, everything, it just fit my style really well, and I wish I would have gone back. But it is what it is. I got me a Super Bowl and I’m blessed about that as well.

I can’t be too mad about the position that I’m put in when it comes to my career. I’ve had a chance to play with some phenomenal players and coaches. And Pat Mahomes might be one of the best football players I’ve ever seen in my life. At this point, he just needs the rings to follow suit with that.

Bolavip: You also spent time with Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson. What was it like for you?

Melvin Gordon: They’re different players. I think Lamar Jackson, he’s probably one of the better athletes I’ve ever seen in my life. But he’s really good too. They’re just different styles. They’re all different in their own way, and really it just comes down to what offensive coordinator you fit the best. What fits your system, and the way you want to run things best. And then they can all be great, because I think Mahomes does things that Lamar can and can’t do, vice versa.

And the same thing with Russell, just being able to throw on the run and different things like that, his deep ball. They’re all great in their own way. Trying to pick who’s better is really difficult because, unless you’re an offensive coordinator, you’ve just got to find the guy that fits your scheme best.

Gordon’s favorite active running backs

Bolavip: Who are your favorite running backs today?

Melvin Gordon: My favorite running back today is Jonathan Taylor. He’s probably one of my favorites. Probably Abu (Sama III), the running back Wisconsin just picked up, so I’ll be tailgating there. I’m going to be, throw me back some Kickstands, man. Just tailgate at the games with the fans, link up with them, go watch my Badgers. Win or lose, I’m in there.

But, I definitely have to go with, obviously, my Badgers, and then I’m biased with Dare Ogunbowale and Jonathan Taylor. Jonathan Taylor’s my number one back right now.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH MELVIN GORDON ON BOLAVIP US:

The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2023 NFL season hoping to make the playoffs with a better record and stronger roster than the previous season, where they were eliminated in the Wild Card round by the Bengals 17-24.

The Ravens’ last season was once again severely affected by an injury that Lamar Jackson suffered during Week 13 against the Denver Broncos. The veteran running back who recently signed a one-year contract with the Ravens comes from that team.

For the 2023 season, the Ravens have four quarterbacks: Jackson, Huntley, Brown, and Johnson. They will also have the help of 4-5 running backs and multiple wide receivers.

Who is the veteran who will play with the Ravens in the 2023 preseason?

According to a recent article published on the NFL’s official website, RB Melvin Gordon recently signed a one-year $3.1 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens to play in the preseason and see if he is able to make the 53-man roster.

Gordon played for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2015 to 2019. He was also with the Denver Broncos from 2020 to 2022, where he was cut after fumbling the ball in a couple of regular season games. The last few months of last season he played for the Chiefs.

Despite never playing a regular season game with the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2022 season, Gordon was part of the practice squad for a few weeks and that gave him the title of Super Bowl champion with the franchise.

The game has been shifting to a pass-first approach in the last couple of years. It has always been about the quarterbacks, but the running backs usually had meaningful roles in the offenses. However, that hasn’t transferred to the contracts.

There shouldn’t be big names available in free agency at this point of the offseason, but stars such as Dalvin Cook or Ezekiel Elliott remain unsigned. Other playmakers like Saquon Barkley or Josh Jacobs haven’t been able to sign long-term deals despite being anchors of their teams.

Despite now being removed from his prime, Melvin Gordon is a veteran that can still contribute in a backup role. However, he hasn’t found a team yet following a bad year with the underperforming Denver Broncos.

Melvin Gordon says being a running back “sucks”

With the cap space growing every year, the salaries also increase. The quarterbacks have had unbelievable rises in their contracts and that happened with other positions too. For example, wide receiver. But there is one position that went the other way.

Another case of an underappreciated player is Austin Ekeler, who couldn’t get an extension even though he is the best offensive weapon of the Los Angeles Chargers. That’s why Gordon made a huge statement about being a running back in the present.

“It’s just so tough for running backs right now, man. You have a lot of running backs that’s out there and we just don’t get no love. It’s literally the worst position to play in the NFL right now. It literally sucks”, Gordon said in an interview with Jim Rome on CBS Sports Radio.

Five of their losses to end the season were defeats by 3 points or less. Much of the offense last year came by way of Devonta Freeman and Latavius Murray, but now according to Ian Rapoport, free agent Melvin Gordon, “is in discussions with the Ravens on a potential deal” and is “a person of interest in Baltimore”.

Considered by many to be one of the best free agents in his position the Ravens will need to pay Gordon something in the realm of $8 million a season which was what he was earning at the Broncos. Here is the low down on Melvin Gordon

Melvin Gordon career highlights

Melvin Gordon is 28 years old and has played for the San Diego/ Los Angeles Chargers from 2015-2019 and a two-year stint with the Broncos in 2020-2021. Gordon is a two-time Pro Bowler and has rushed for over 6,100 yards in his career.

Gordon’s best season came in 2017 with 12 touchdowns and rushed over 1,000 yards. Last season with Denver he had 10 touchdowns and just under 1000 rushing yards and led the team in all major rushing categories.

On a personal note, during his time in Denver in 2020 Gordon was arrested for speeding and posted a $55,000 cash bond. The DUI charge was later dismissed in March of 2021 and Gordon pleaded guilty to speeding and reckless driving.

For most players, that’s not their fault. Football can wear you out and not many players have long careers in the NFL. For others, it seems like they just don’t care enough or don’t want it badly enough anymore.

Whatever the reason is, there were plenty of disappointing players in the 2020 NFL season, but no one topped Melvin Gordon, Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger, Lamar Jackson, and Ezekiel Elliott; and we’ll let you know just why.

The Most Disappointing NFL Players Of 2020

5. Melvin Gordon

Melvin Gordon was a star with the San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers but he couldn’t replicate that success with the Denver Broncos. Perhaps the Chargers knew what was coming and that’s why they refused to cave into his salary demands in 2019 when he threatened to hold out for the season.

While the Broncos’ offense was stagnant, to say the least, Gordon did little to help their cause. He rushed 215 times for 986 yards and just 9 touchdowns, adding a career-high four fumbles lost. He ended up splitting carries and doesn’t look like a bell-cow back anymore.

4. Cam Newton

Cam Newton was the guy to watch last season. Some people claimed he was washed and wasn’t going to be healthy enough to go back to his MVP level, others – myself included – believed that he was poised for a revenge season and would lead the New England Patriots to the playoffs.

Needless to say, we were wrong. Newton was inaccurate, hesitant, and flat-out bad. He did most of his damage on the ground and only threw for2,657 yards with 8 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was benched down the stretch multiple times and it seems like his days as a starter are over.

3. Ben Roethlisberger

It’s always sad to see when the clock is ticking on a Hall of Famer, and, sadly; Ben Roethlisberger couldn’t keep up with Father Time anymore. He had the worst season of his career and many wonder whether he’s still got it or not.

Big Ben has never been mobile but at least he was a sniper. Last year, however, most of his throws were off. He still managed to throw for3,803 yards with 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions but failed to move the chains when his team needed him. It’s hard to blame him at this point in his career, tho.

2. Lamar Jackson

Don’t get me wrong, Lamar Jackson had a good season but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t disappointing. He was coming off an MVP year with many people questioning his drive and determination to win, and he didn’t do much to change that narrative this season.

The thing with Jackson is that he just didn’t improve the slightest. He continued to be the same quarterback he was last year and once again, that backfired. He’s got to be able to throw the ball and not be one-dimensional, regardless of how great he is running the football. Last year, he threw for just2,757 yards with 26 touchdowns and 9 picks, adding1,005 yards and 7 scores on the ground.

1. Ezekiel Elliott

And among all players, no one was more disappointing than Ezekiel Elliott. Even when Dak Prescott was healthy, his production just wasn’t the same and his numbers continue to regress every single season. Also, his fumbling woes were on full display for most of the year.

Elliott rushed for a career-worst979 yards (4 yards per carry) with just 6 touchdowns. Also, he fumbled 6 times with 5 fumbles lost and it seems like he had lost his first step. He’s too talented and too young to look washed, so hopefully, he’ll have a bounceback season and silence his critics in 2021.