Ex-Broncos RB offers honest assessment of potential NFL comeback
Former Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon, who last played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, did not sound very optimistic about a potential comeback during an interview on FanDuel TV's Up & Adams show two weeks ago.
"It's just... you know, I went the whole year last year without playing and, just being out a whole year -- it's not easy to just go back in there and just ... you know what I mean?" Gordon said when asked by Kay Adams about a potential return to the NFL. "You've been doing something for 20 years and then to take a year off, that's a long time. So it's just kind of up in the air with everything. Right now, I'm just kind of comfortable golfing and kind of spending extra time with the family and friends."
That sounds like the answer from a player who has essentially accepted that his career might be over. Adams then asked if Gordon wants to play again.
"I mean, I've been doing it my whole life, like I said, so it's like, yeah, you do, but you kind of understand, you know, I understand my position," Gordon explained. "And as a running back, being out a year and being 32, it's just not that easy. They like younger backs -- they're cheaper, they come in -- so, you know, you can't really fight that. It's not a position like a receiver where you can come in and kind of steal some years -- our position kind of don't work like that."
After spending the first five years of his career with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers, Gordon spent 2020-2022 with the Broncos, rushing for 2,222 yards and 19 touchdowns in 41 games. Gordon was cut by Denver following his fifth fumble of the 2022 season (and his 12th fumble overall with the Broncos). He then finished out the season on the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs. KC went on to win the Super Bowl, but Gordon did not play any snaps in the regular season or postseason with the Chiefs.
After that, Gordon rushed 26 times for 81 yards and one touchdown in four games with the Ravens in 2023 (he also had one fumble). Gordon seems to sense that a comeback bid isn't practical. If his career has come to an end, the running back is hanging up his cleats as a two-time Pro Bowler with 9,056 yards from scrimmage and 70 career touchdowns on his resume.
Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
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