Phillip Lindsay Reveals his Emotional Reaction to Broncos Signing Melvin Gordon
Although there had been rumblings ahead of time that the Denver Broncos were looking for a 'starter type' running back on the free agent market, it surprised almost everyone when the team signed ex-Charger Melvin Gordon.
GM John Elway showed Gordon the money, giving him a two-year, $16 million deal. All of this came just a couple of months after Elway said publicly that he was considering giving Phillip Lindsay an early extension based on the fact that as a 2018 college free agent, the Pro Bowl running back was already eligible to get paid.
Considering that Lindsay had single-handedly carried the Broncos' offense for two straight years, leading to back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, it made a lot of sense for Elway to communicate to Lindsay, in the language of the NFL which is money, just how much the team appreciated his contributions.
Instead, that money that many, including Lindsay, thought would be earmarked for him, went to Gordon by way of $13.5M guaranteed. In the immediate aftermath of the Gordon deal, Lindsay said all the right things publicly.
But in a recent conversation with Broncos Hall-of-Famer Terrell Davis on Instagram Live, which was transcribed by Ryan Koenigsberg of the DNVR, Lindsay dropped the facade and shared his true reaction to the Gordon deal.
"It caught me off-guard because it was like, 'Okay, I've put in the work and done all this' and it makes it seem like they don't respect you enough to know the work you're putting in," Lindsay told Davis. "So I was really upset at the beginning, I'm not going to lie.
"But then I started to think—and I'm like, 'okay, the thing is this'—if something happens to me or something happens to him, it's hard. When I wasn't in the game, stuff was not going as well or smooth. But if you have somebody that can complement me like I did my rookie year where I'm not just running up the middle trying to get first downs all day. I was like, 'Okay, this takes some pressure off me. Now I can do my job and use my speed do my stuff and stay healthier, too.'"
Lindsay was absolutely taken aback. And the truth is, the Gordon deal hurt him. But because of the quality of character Lindsay has, he quickly found the silver lining.
"My biggest thing is, I'm going to do my part. At the end of the day, when I get in the game, whether it's five touches or 10 touches, one of them is going to be a touchdown. That's how I look at it. I don't need no 20 touches. I never did. I don't think I ever got 20 touches. Give me five, six, seven, 10—I'm going to break one of them.
"I think for us to get where we need to be, we need more people around us. I think that's what Elway did. Just add some competition and add more depth. I think that Melvin complements me well and I complement him well. I think that once you get past the pride stuff and you can work together, we can be a helluva tandem. I have to do my part. My part is, when I get the ball, make big plays, get first downs and that's what I'm going to do."
On one hand, Lindsay is as humble and understanding as it gets. It doesn't take him long to see the big picture.
On the other, he's deeply driven by the chip on his shoulder of not getting drafted, and frankly, the way he's been treated by the Broncos' brass is going to have a galvanizing effect on his play. You'll see that fire that especially exemplified his rookie campaign once again in year three.
That's not to say he didn't play with fire last year. But there was a reason those explosive plays were fewer and farther between and a big reason why was he was the man in that backfield, which meant more touches and more attention from opposing defenses.
Now, defensive coordinators will have to pick their poison which plays directly into the Broncos' and Lindsay's hands. It's not hard to understand why Elway coveted Gordon, in that respect.
My prediction, and this way too early, is that Lindsay is going to have a massive year in the Broncos' offense. He will out-shine Gordon because that's just the way it works with Lindsay.
When challenged, he rises to the occasion. Not one running back that has ever crossed Lindsay's path, dating back to high school, has been able to keep him off the field. This time, he's going to have even more to prove.
The Broncos have Lindsay under contractual control through the 2021 season, at which point he would be scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The Broncos will have to restricted free-agent tag him at the end of 2020 to keep him around.
There's always the outside chance Elway could bite the bullet and show Lindsay the money. But based on what we know about Elway, and the fact that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, the odds of that happening are slim.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
