Chargers running back Melvin Gordon sat out the entire offseason and the first quarter of the season in hopes of a new contract that paid him $13 million annually, in which he never got.

Gordon came back in Week 5 knowing that the only way to prove he’s worth that kind of money is to be on the playing field. It took a month to dust the cobwebs off, but he finally started to build some steam.

His first four games back, Gordon wasn’t efficient at all, amassing 31, 18, 32, and 31 yards in those games, respectively, averaging 2.5 yards per carry, with one game of over 10 receiving yards and two total touchdowns.

Since then, the former Wisconsin product has gotten on track, generating 100-plus scrimmage yards in three of the past five contests and averaging 4.67 yards per carry.

Gordon, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, has three games left to show he’s worth top-dollar running back money.

Former Chargers great RB LaDainian Tomlinson believes that he will receive a hefty contract after this season. But Tomlinson doesn’t think it will be Los Angeles paying him.

“I think he will get paid. There will be some team that says, ‘Hey, we see the value in what this guy can bring to the team. We’ll see what happens. But it certainly doesn’t look like he’ll belong to the Chargers after this season,” Tomlinson said.

Gordon is one of the better running backs in the league, but staying healthy has been an issue for him, which could be one of the reasons why Los Angeles is hesitant on paying him.

But Tomlinson believes there aren’t many players at his position that can do what Gordon does.

“Melvin is still a young man and he is going to get paid and it’s because he can certainly be a great all-around back,’’ Tomlinson said. “He’s shown he’s a willing blocker, he’s obviously been a very talented runner over the last couple of years and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. He can be a three-down back.’’

The Chargers also possess a talented backfield that consists of Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson. The team would be able to roll into 2020 with those two, along with a draft selection that comes later on or even an undrafted rookie, which is the approach they took with Ekeler in 2017.

Gordon will be one of many notable soon-to-be free agents that L.A. will have to decide on when that time comes in the next few months. If they feel like he’s not in their future plans, look for teams like the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Dolphins and Texans to target him.