The Chargers’ slow start to free agency can be attributed to their inflexibility relative to the NFL’s rigid salary cap, which the team is up against in their pursuit to add and retain talent ahead of the 2023 season.
One player who has been at a particular disadvantage given their situation is running back Austin Ekeler, who put together the best season of his career last year as the Chargers’ leading runner and scorer.
After talks with the team about an extension that fell through earlier in the offseason, he requested a trade, which has yet to be fulfilled through the first three weeks of the free agency period.
Ekeler took to Fantasy Sports Radio on Sirius XM to give his thoughts on the quandary he is in with Los Angeles, where the Chargers feel it is necessary to move on from him to rectify their cap woes, but potential suitors haven’t been quick to voice their interest in the seventh-year running back.
"I want to be a Charger."@AustinEkeler explains his long-term plan on Fantasy Dirt with @Michael_Fabiano & @AmberTheoharis. pic.twitter.com/r2nxGhmMWX
— Fantasy Sports Radio (@SiriusXMFantasy) April 4, 2023
Though he carefully avoided criticism of the team, Ekeler made it clear that he is looking to get traded to a team that intends to keep him as a centerpiece of their offense for years to come.
“When it comes down 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 explained. “That’s what we want. We want someone who wants to sign us for a few years and sees us not just in the immediate future, but a couple years out. Once everything halted with the Chargers, alright, it was time to go and see if we can find value somewhere else because they just kind of showed that they weren’t interested at that time.”
Los Angeles hasn’t made any commitment to Ekeler, but he seemed content with the uncertainty surrounding his future and told the show’s hosts that he is willing to wait until after the NFL draft to find a resolution.
“Time will play out,” He said. “Who knows? We’ll see what happens with the draft. But it’s a situation where, look, if a team wants me in the long term, it’s a year where they’re gonna have to give up picks and then also have to renegotiate, so that’s kind of playing against us for sure. But we’ll see, like I said. Time will tell, and we’ll see what happens after the draft.”
The Chargers can hardly afford to lose a player of Ekeler’s caliber, and his departure will deal a huge blow to their offense which benefitted greatly from his production on the ground.
While quarterback Justin Herbert should still be able to find success through the air, Los Angeles will be hard-pressed to find anyone who can replace Ekeler in the short term to contribute to their playoff push in 2023.