Things sound like they are getting ugly between running back Austin Ekeler and the Los Angeles Chargers. A few weeks ago, it was revealed that Austin Ekeler had received permission from the team to seek a trade as contract extension talks were not going as well had he had hoped they would.
This week, Austin Ekeler opened up about how he was feeling while making an appearance on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. There is a lot of disappointment and hurt coming from Austin Ekeler, who feels disrespected by the organization.
“Time will tell, and we’ll see what happens after the draft,” Ekeler said. “Look, I guess the worst-case scenario right now out of all of it — I’ll come back and I’ll have to play for the Chargers for a year and bet on myself and then be a free agent next year.”
Austin Ekeler is entering the final season of a four-year $24.5 million deal he signed in 2020. He has a cap hit of only $7.75 million and has far out-produced the deal that he is currently on.
An argument could be made that Austin Ekeler is the best running back in the NFL. What he offers not only as a runner but as a receiver out of the backfield, is rivaled by almost no other player in the league. But, given the team’s salary cap situation, it is easy to see why they would cut off extension talks.
Austin Ekeler did say that he wants to remain a Charger, but is seeking a long-term partner as well. Right now, it doesn’t look like it will come from Los Angeles.
“It sucks. I want to be a Charger. I want to be a Charger. I want to be there and it sucks because it’s like, let’s get something done,” Ekeler said. “Yes, I do have one more year on my contract, absolutely, but for them to want to allow me to be a free agent next year, maybe we’ll get something done throughout the year. Who knows how it’s going to play out? But that’s how I’m feeling right now. We don’t have insight into how they’re thinking because they’re just like, ‘Nah, we don’t want to talk anymore.'”
That is certainly a tough situation to be in, but Austin Ekeler may be put in a position to play out his contract and see how things unfold in 2024. Running back isn’t a position that teams are pouring money into any longer. Finding a team to pay Austin Ekeler what he is seeking, at this point in the offseason, is virtually impossible.
Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard all had excellent 2022 seasons but looks like they will be playing out the 2023 campaign on the franchise tag. The shelf life of running backs isn’t very long, so teams aren’t committing to them long-term.
Based on his production, Austin Ekeler certainly deserves a long-term deal. He impacts the game in numerous ways but unless there is a change in how teams view the position, he will likely find a less-than-stellar market.
