Tag: Austin Ekeler trade request

RB Austin Ekeler on contract with Chargers: ‘One more year that I’m obligated to be here’

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler spoke to the media for the first time since the end of the season.

Running back Austin Ekeler is entering seventh and what seems to be his last with the Chargers.

“For me, I understand that I have one more obligation here,” Ekeler said at mandatory minicamp.

“One more year that I’m obligated to be here. I wanted to go poke around and see if there was any other value. If not, right? Come back and have my last year. Like I said before, do what I can do here.”

Los Angeles granted Ekeler and his team permission to seek a trade in March, but nothing came out of it.

Instead, Ekeler ended up staying in L.A. after the team added $1.75 million in incentives on the final year of his current contract.

Ekeler may not have gotten what he was looking for, a hefty contract to make him one of the highest-paid running backs. Still, he plans to put his head down and play this upcoming season to the best of his abilities.

“Regardless of what happens here – whether I think it’s fair or not – look, I’m going to try to put myself in the best position I can while I’m here, but I’m also doing that off the field, as well,” Ekeler said.

“So, I’ve kept a pretty open mind, a forward-looking outlook about it.

“I’m not mad. I’m not mad about the situation or anything like that.”

Ekeler, who was signed as an undrafted rookie back in 2017, has run for 34 touchdowns and has caught 29 scores for Los Angeles. He’s amassed 7,125 total yards over that span.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler gives update on trade request

Austin Ekeler is looking for a long-term commitment from any team that might trade for him as his time.

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.

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.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler explains trade request

Austin Ekeler wants to be paid what he thinks he’s worth.

At the start of the league year, one of the bigger storylines surrounding the Los Angeles Chargers is running back Austin Ekeler.

Out of left field, Ekeler was granted permission to seek a trade. And the reason he has sought out potential suitors was recently revealed on an episode of the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast.

Ekeler said the Chargers had shut him out while discussing a long-term contract. He added that he has nothing against the team but doesn’t want to stay in Los Angeles unless he’s going to get paid what he thinks he’s worth.

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

I’m at the peak of my game, I’m going to score you another 20 touchdowns. As long as I’m healthy I’m going to score 20 touchdowns, I’m going to have 1,600 all-purpose yards. I’m getting half my value of what I can be getting. So I am relentlessly pursuing someone who wants me.”

Ekeler signed a four-year, $24.5 million deal in 2020. He is due to make $6.25 million this year.

The Chargers have already committed to players like Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack by restructuring their contracts, which gave them some salary cap leeway this year but will take a significant toll on it in 2024.

Ekeler is an important piece, but his positional value might not be seen as crucial enough by Los Angeles to be worth paying him more. However, the case for Ekeler is that he has been not only productive but healthy, which is something rare at the position; he has missed only one game in the past two seasons.

Ekeler has 38 total touchdowns in the past two seasons, the most among NFL skill players.

Ultimately, I believe Ekeler and L.A. will agree to an extension if they can’t find a trade partner. He has some leverage because he can hold out during training camp. And the Chargers aren’t in a position to find his replacement. Entering his age-28 season, Ekeler has enough juice to produce a couple more good years.