As the first waves of free agency and the NFL Draft shrink in the rearview mirror, Austin Ekeler is still a member of the Chargers. The retiring star had previously requested a trade from Los Angeles and the franchise gave him permission to look for a potential partner, but no deal has materialized. And at this point on the NFL calendar, it does look like things will stand still.
“Nothing has changed,” Chargers GM Tom Telesco told “The Rich Eisen Show” on Tuesday about Ekeler’s situation, via NFL.com. “His situation is unique. I totally understand that and that’s why we kind of let them look and see if there was anything. We had no intention, no interest in trading him, but we knew his situation completely to go ahead and do it It.”
Ekeler has been one of the NFL’s most prolific fullbacks as both a pure running back and an elite pass-catching option for Justin Herbert from the backfield. In the past two seasons, he has logged at least 1,500 yards from scrimmage and has a total of 38 touchdowns over that two-year stretch. With that production in mind, Ekeler, who enters the final year of his contract, is seeking a salary increase as he will earn $6.25 million in base salary in 2023.
Ekeler’s expiring deal has an average annual value of $6.125 million, which ranks 14th among running backs. That’s a significantly lower number than some of his contemporaries, such as Christian McCaffrey ($16 million in AAV), Alvin Kamara ($15 million in AAV), and Dalvin Cook ($12.6 million in AAV).
“When it comes to what’s going on with the whole trade and all that stuff, really, look, we’re trying to find a long-term partner,” Ekeler said. of his situation before the NFL Draft. “That’s what we want. We want someone who wants to sign us for a few years and not just see us in the near future, but a few years out. Once everything stopped with the Chargers, okay, it was time to go see if we can find value elsewhere because they just showed they weren’t interested at the time. Time will play. Who knows?”
While Ekeler sees a pay rise, he finds himself in a predicament. NFL teams these days aren’t dying to pay back their principal money, and since Ekeler turns 28 at the start of next season, they probably wouldn’t want to commit to a smaller back by age 30 either.
The Chargers were not big players in free agency at the running back position, nor did they select one in the NFL Draft. So Ekeler is waiting for the same job if he eventually stays with the team for 2023, which seems the most likely outcome at this point. After 2023, when Ekeler gets unlimited free desks, he might find that long-term deal he’s been looking for.