Le'Veon Bell knows all too well the situation that Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is in right now.
Gordon, entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, is reportedly prepared to holdout until the Chargers offer him a more lucrative deal in line with his production over his first four seasons.
Bell, who sat out all of last season over a contract dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers, says he has talked to Gordon and is "proud" that the 26-year old Pro Bowler is holding his ground.
“I’m proud of him,” Bell said Thursday on the Jets’ first day of training camp. “He knows his worth. That’s a guy that I’ve talked to. I know him since he was at Wisconsin and I was at Michigan State. Me and him have a nice little bond. I’m proud of him. I’m always going to support him because he feels like he knows his worth. I hope he gets what he deserves.”
Gordon is set to make $5.6 million in the upcoming season, and if he goes the route that Bell did in 2018, his contract will roll over to next year. Furthermore, he faces a $40,000 fine for each day he doesn't show up to training camp.
That said, the expectation is that Gordon's holdout will be "prolonged," and may very well extend into the regular season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.