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Austin Ekeler

Austin Ekeler Addresses Trade Request, Contract Status

March 21st, 2023 at 10:48pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of the top storylines to emerge last week was running back Austin Ekeler‘s request to seek a trade sending him away from the Chargers. Los Angeles has given him permission to do so, making this situation one to watch. The veteran recently spoke on his trade request and his openness to remain in Los Angeles during an appearance on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast.

“I think it’s really important to put it out there that it’s not like, ‘Oh, I hate the Chargers and I need to get out of this organization, and I need to leave,” Ekeler said. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. I would like to stay if it was under the right circumstances.” (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com).

The 27-year-old has one year remining on his current contract, a four-year, $24.5MM deal which has given the Chargers tremendous value given Ekeler’s production. He has topped 1,500 scrimmage yards three times in his career, and led the NFL in total touchdowns in each of the past two campaigns. That production would likely put him in line for a sizeable raise on the $6.25MM he is due in 2023 (or, more generally, the $6.125MM AAV of his existing pact) if he were a free agent now.

The former UDFA ranks 14th in the league in terms of average compensation at the running back position, one which has traditionally been undervalued relative to most others. This year’s free agent period has continued that trend, which will make it interesting to see how much interest other teams will have in acquiring Ekeler at a high trade and/or financial cost. Pushing closer to the top of the pecking order on his next deal is clearly his priority, though.

“I’m so underpaid right now as far as my contract and what I contribute to the team,” Ekeler said. “I am relentlessly pursuing this. I want to get something long-term done. I want a team that wants me long term… I’m getting half my value of what I could be getting.”

Given his age, a lucrative investment on the part of the Chargers or any other team could carry significant risk. As the Western Colorado product noted, however, his skillset differs from that of traditional, between-the-tackles workhorse backs. Ekeler has received more than 200 carries only twice in his career, and 48% of his total yardage has come in the passing game. That could help the 5-foot-8 back extend his production deeper into his career than many others at the position.

Ekeler reiterated his affinity for the Chargers, adding, “I want to be there, but on the right terms.” Los Angeles’ offense would look dramatically different if a trade were to take place, given the team’s struggles to find a consistent backup RB in recent years. A new round of extension talks could help continue the relationship between team and player, but the potential market from outside suitors could drive him to a new NFL home in the near future.

Chargers Grant Austin Ekeler Permission To Seek Trade

March 14th, 2023 at 12:21pm CST by Adam La Rose

MARCH 14: The Bolts will allow their dynamic back to see if a trade market forms. They will let Ekeler explore a trade, according to his agent (Twitter link). Running backs’ diminished value aside, the NFL’s two-time reigning touchdown kingpin is now tied to the league’s 15th-most lucrative deal at the position. Rising from UDFA status to a top-tier performer at the position, Ekeler has outplayed his contract. Will another team reward him while giving the Chargers compensation?

MARCH 13: The next few days will be dominated by free agents finding new homes, but trades are also part of this portion of the NFL offseason. One involving Chargers running back Austin Ekeler could be taking place soon, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that he has requested permission to seek a trade.

The trade request follows unsuccessful preliminary discussions with the organization regarding a contract extension. The running back is entering the final season of a four-year, $24.5MM deal and is set to earn $6.25MM in 2023. According to ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry, the latest negotiations “failed to progress,” leading to today’s development.

The Chargers may have a tough time affording Ekeler’s next deal. The team recently had to rework the contracts of receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack in order to be cap compliant. The front office is also eyeing a significant contract extension for quarterback Justin Herbert, meaning they’ll surely have to make tough decisions elsewhere on the roster.

The 27-year-old running back has transformed from an undrafted free agent into one of the most dominant offensive players in the NFL. Ekeler has topped 900 yards from scrimmage in each of the past five seasons, but he’s taken it to another level over the past two years. In 33 games between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Ekeler has compiled 3,195 yards from scrimmage and 38 touchdowns.

Ekeler would certainly be an upgrade on most of the free agent running backs, although any suitor would obviously have to give up compensation to acquire the Chargers RB. With Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard all getting slapped with the franchise tag, the top of the RB market includes the likes of Miles Sanders, David Montgomery, and Damien Harris.

The Chargers could theoretically be the in the market for a running back if they end up moving Ekeler. The team is also rostering a pair of unproven RBs in Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller.

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/25-12/26/21

December 26th, 2021 at 11:05pm CST by Ely Allen

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed on or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Christmas and today. In some instances, players activated from the list remain on IR:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Steven Sims

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Chargers Place Joey Bosa, Austin Ekeler On COVID-19 List

December 20th, 2021 at 12:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers will be forced to place edge rusher Joey Bosa, center Corey Linsley, and running back Austin Ekeler on the COVID-19 list (Twitter link via Daniel Popper of The Athletic). The Bolts will likely add more players to that list later today, which may leave them at less than full strength for Sunday’s game against the Texans. 

Bosa was reported to be unvaccinated earlier this year. So, unless he has received the vaccine in recent weeks, he’ll still be subject to the league’s 2020 protocols and held out of this week’s game. Even under the revised rules, unvaccinated players who test positive must remain in quaratine for a minimum of ten days.

Bosa was briefly placed on the COVID-19 list back in November when he was ID’d as a high-risk close contact. But, after testing negative, he was cleared to face the Steelers in Week 11.

The 26-year-old is in the midst of another sensational season with 43 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and a league-leading six forced fumbles. Needless to say, he’s well on his way to a third straight Pro Bowl selection, which would give him four for his young career. The Chargers have Bosa under contract for years to come, thanks to the five-year, $135MM mega-deal he inked in 2020.

Unfortunately, the Chargers be without Bosa for at least a little while as they work to clinch a playoff berth. At 8-6, the Bolts have a 75% chance of. making the cut, per Five Thirty Eight, plus an outside chance of catching the Chiefs for the divisional crown.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler Discusses New OC Joe Lombardi

June 29th, 2021 at 5:20pm CST by Ben Levine

With Joe Lombardi now serving as the Chargers offensive coordinator, it’s easy to assume that the offense will see a handful of changes. While the running game will surely see some new wrinkles, running back Austin Ekeler is confident that he’ll have another chance to lead a successful running backs corps.

“I think that’s something that I’ve learned about Joe coming in like this man is going to get his playmakers in space and situations where they can be successful,” Ekeler said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra). “I think you see that as far as the running back position with Kamara with the Saints. They would give him the ball any way they could, and he was making plays. And it just depends on me, right? As far as, hey, if coach is going to trust me with the ball, my hands are going to make sure I make it work, make him right. If I don’t do that, we got a lot of other talent on the team too. So I like it, ’cause it’s putting the pressure on me. I love that ’cause now I’m betting on myself to go out there and make plays. I have no doubt about that.”

Ekeler mostly served as backup during his first few seasons in the NFL, but following a breakout 2019 campaign where he finished with more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage (and with Melvin Gordon officially out of the picture), the 26-year-old finally had an opportunity to start full time in 2020. Unfortunately, Ekeler was limited to only 10 games, and his 530 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown were his lowest marks since his rookie season.

The team will return a similar running back depth chart in 2021, with Ekeler leading a grouping that includes returnees Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley (plus sixth-round rookie Larry Rountree III).

Chargers Activate Austin Ekeler

November 28th, 2020 at 3:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Justin Herbert may have a key weapon back at his disposal Sunday in Buffalo. The Chargers activated Austin Ekeler on Saturday.

The recently extended back has been out since Week 4 because of a hamstring tear. The Bolts went from an Ekeler-Melvin Gordon backfield to one that has mostly featured lower-end investments this season. While Herbert has still emerged as the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite, he has been without a proven running back for most of his rookie slate.

The Chargers recently placed Justin Jackson on IR and have gone with former Dolphins and Jets castoff Kalen Ballage in recent weeks. Ballage figures to take a backseat, should Ekeler suit up against the Bills on Sunday.

Last season, Ekeler finished seven yards shy of a 1,000-yard receiving season. The former UDFA parlayed that into a four-year, $24MM extension, with the Chargers moving on from Gordon and installing his former backup as their backfield centerpiece. Ekeler’s severe hamstring ailment in early October stalled the franchise’s plan, but the fourth-year runner is soon set to re-emerge.

AFC Notes: Jets, Chargers, Ekeler, Bengals, Waynes

November 24th, 2020 at 2:10pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Another week, more drama with the Jets. While tanking is often talked about in the NFL in terms of roster construction and letting young guys play, it’s very rare for a team to be accused of actively trying to lose games. But that’s exactly what’s happening in New York, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes. The latest dustup surrounds starting cornerback Bless Austin, and a neck injury that just landed him on injured reserve. Head coach Adam Gase had previously expressed optimism that Austin would play this past Sunday, then suddenly pivoted and said the team’s doctors told him Austin didn’t feel good.

Mehta writes that Jets employees “vehemently disagreed with the head coach’s characterization of the situation.” He reports that Austin told teammates the neck issue would only require a couple of days of rest, and that the medical staff shared that opinion. After that, “people at all levels of the organization have started to wonder whether Jets brass actually care about winning any of their remaining games.” Mehta says some within the building have concluded “the powers that be want to tank for Trevor Lawrence.” The Jets just cut starting cornerback Pierre Desir and placed fellow corner Brian Poole on injured reserve, making Austin’s absence all the more significant in their now extremely young secondary. It’s not unusual for a team to strip down its roster of veterans, but it would be unusual for a team to purposely sideline a healthy player in order to field a less competitive product. This will be an interesting situation to keep an eye on as the season winds down.

Here’s more from a couple of the AFC’s other divisions:

  • The Chargers are in the midst of yet another injury-plagued season, but reinforcements may be on the way. The team will designate star running back Austin Ekeler to return from injured reserve and he’ll practice this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. Pelissero adds that it’s not clear yet if he’ll be able to be active for this weekend’s game against the Bills, but either way it sounds like he’ll be back on the field very soon. He’s been one of the league’s most productive running backs the past two years, both as a runner and receiver. Ekeler hasn’t played since Week 4 due to a serious hamstring injury he suffered against the Buccaneers. He was averaging over five yards per carry with 17 receptions through only a little over three games.
  • While Ekeler will be back any week now, things are a lot less certain for Bengals cornerback Trae Waynes. Waynes signed a three-year, $42MM deal with Cincy this offseason, but hasn’t played in a game yet after tearing a pec in August. Waynes finally popped up on the rehab field at a Bengals practice this past week, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic writes, but a return this season is still in question. “Still unsure at this point, honestly,” Waynes said. “I’m trying to work as hard and as fast and as smart as I can to get back out there without risk of jeopardizing my body to another injury. Unfortunately, it’s not up to me to decide if I can get cleared. So, I’m just doing my part to make that happen as soon as possible.” Waynes expressed frustration with what looks like a lost year, adding that the COVID-19 restrictions have made it hard for him to get acclimated to his new team without being able to practice or play. “Very frustrating, boring,” the former first-round pick of the Vikings said. “I’m not used to it. It’s my first major injury through college and the NFL. I’m not used to just sitting out the whole season and doing absolutely nothing but rehabbing.”
  • In case you missed it, crucial Titans linebacker Jayon Brown is out for the season.

Extra Points: Bieniemy, Giants, Panthers

October 21st, 2020 at 6:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Giants are just one game back of the NFC East lead, they are 1-5 and appear on the verge of their fourth straight double-digit loss season. GM Dave Gettleman has presided over the previous two 10-plus-loss campaigns, and some around the league have tabbed the Giants GM job as a potential opening ahead of the 2021 offseason, Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com note. The Panthers‘ GM spot has also surfaced around the NFL as one to monitor. Marty Hurney, in place long before Matt Rhule‘s arrival, has been rumored as a potential chopping-block candidate because of Rhule’s overhaul and seven-year contract. Hurney’s contract runs through 2020. Gettleman made his way back to New York shortly after his Carolina ouster, but his rebuild has not taken off. The Giants have never lost double-digit games in four straight seasons.

Here is the latest from around the league:

  • Sticking with staffs, the Texans are indeed expected to strongly consider Eric Bieniemy. Deshaun Watson has advocated for Patrick Mahomes‘ OC, and Graziano and Fowler note the Texans “definitely” have interest in the Chiefs assistant. The Chiefs are prepared to lose Bieniemy this offseason, which would mark the third time they have lost an OC since 2016. Houston is believed to be seeking a quarterback guru and will have Josh McDaniels (again) and Bills OC Brian Daboll on its target list as well.
  • The Bears may not need to make it back to the playoffs for their current power brokers to stay in place. Both Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace are believed to be on track to stick around for 2021, per Fowler and Graziano. Chicago’s 5-1 start has come with just a plus-12 point differential, and the team benched Pace’s handpicked quarterback early in the season. Despite Mitchell Trubisky‘s struggles and current backup status, Pace is currently believed to be safe to receive a seventh year as GM.
  • It does not sound like the Chargers are expecting to have Austin Ekeler back anytime soon. The Bolts’ starting running back is battling what Anthony Lynn calls a “very serious” hamstring injury that has him set to be sidelined for the foreseeable future, Daniel Popper of The Athletic tweets. Given a four-year, $24MM extension this offseason, Ekeler went down in Week 4. The Bolts have been without many key players on offense since turning to Justin Herbert in Week 2.
  • Adoree’ Jackson returned to Titans practice Wednesday. The team designated the former first-round cornerback as an IR-return player, making him eligible to face the Steelers in Week 7 — if the team activates him by Saturday afternoon. Jackson landed on IR before Week 1 with a knee injury.
  • The Panthers placed Joey Slye on their reserve/COVID-19 list and brought in kickers for workouts this week. Carolina has auditioned Casey Bednarski (Minnesota State), Taylor Bertolet and Austin Parker (Duke), per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Bednarski began his coronavirus testing with the team Tuesday, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. None of these kickers has NFL experience. Slye has not tested positive but came in contact with someone who had, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes. The Panthers do not have a kicker on their practice squad, but Slye has not been at the team’s facility since Sunday and could still kick in Week 7.
  • The Dolphins conducted an interesting workout Wednesday. They brought in former Seahawks second-round pick Malik McDowell for an audition, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The 2017 draftee has not played an NFL down, with an ATV accident and subsequent legal troubles harpooning his career. The former Michigan State defensive lineman recently spent time in prison after a bevy of charges stemming from a 2019 arrest.

Austin Ekeler Placed On IR

October 9th, 2020 at 3:09pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Oct. 9, 3:09pm: Ekeler has been placed on IR, the team announced.

Oct. 5, 2:12pm: Ekeler is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with the injury, Schefter tweets. He notes Ekeler is seeking a second opinion on the injury and the timetable, although it sounds like injured reserve is a near certainty at this point.

Oct. 5, 11:39am: The Chargers collapsed like only they (and maybe the Falcons) know how to do, blowing a 17-point lead against the Buccaneers. The bad news doesn’t stop there however, as it looks like they’ll be without running back Austin Ekeler for a while.

Ekeler suffered a hyperextended knee and hamstring injury that will cause him to miss multiple weeks, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The severity won’t be known until an MRI on Monday, but it sounds like a trip to injured reserve (minimum three games) is a possibility. Ekeler pulled up lame and looked to be in loads of pain, needing to be carted off. The Chargers are expected to place Ekeler on IR, but they’ll wait until a full analysis is completed before making the call (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

It’s yet another brutal blow for a Chargers team that has yet again been besieged by injuries. They’re currently down multiple starters on the offensive line, receiver Mike Williams missed Sunday’s game, and a handful of starters on defense are hurt.

Los Angeles has come very close to winning every game, yet now sit at 1-3 through four weeks. Stop us if you’ve heard that one before. Ekeler was handling by far the biggest workload of his career this season after the Chargers moved on from Melvin Gordon. A dynamic pass-catcher as well as runner, he had 11 receptions in Week 3 against the Panthers.

The unheralded former undrafted free agent had 557 yards and three touchdowns on the ground last year, adding another 993 and eight through the air. The Western Colorado product signed a four-year, $24.5MM pact with the Chargers back in March, so thankfully he’s financially secure. Rookie fourth-rounder Joshua Kelley from UCLA and Justin Jackson will carry the load in his absence.

Chargers, Austin Ekeler Agree To Deal

March 6th, 2020 at 1:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chargers have identified the running back they’d like to keep for the long haul. Instead of Melvin Gordon, former UDFA Austin Ekeler now has a second Bolts contract.

Ekeler agreed to a four-year, $24.5MM deal on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). This pact will include $15MM in guaranteed money. Ekeler was a restricted free agent but is now locked up through the 2023 season.

This represents a remarkable rise for Ekeler, who entered the league in 2017 undrafted out of Division II Western State (Colo.). While he backed up Gordon for most of his first two seasons, Ekeler thrived in a starting role and then alongside the former first-round pick in 2019.

He finished with 993 receiving yards — fifth-most ever in a season for a pure running back — and totaled 1,550 from scrimmage. Ekeler added 11 touchdowns and became the first Charger in 34 years to post a 100-100 game, which occurred against the Jaguars in December. His 10.3 receiving yards after catch ranked second in the NFL, per ESPN Stats & Info.

A report pointed Gordon toward free agency Thursday, and this Ekeler accord confirms it. After Gordon became extension-eligible in January 2018, the sides went two years without agreeing to terms. And Gordon’s 2019 holdout undoubtedly benefited his backup’s case for a payday. Ekeler agreed to his re-up — at a price south of what Gordon sought during his holdout — after being extension-eligible for barely two months. The Bolts and Ekeler began negotiating the extension in January, Schefter adds.

At 24, Ekeler is two years younger than Gordon and has logged 443 career touches — well behind Gordon’s 1,283. The Chargers should be able to rely on their passing-down back for a few more seasons, while Gordon will now have a chance to gauge his value on the open market.

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