Jim Harbaugh would ‘love’ to have Austin Ekeler on Chargers in 2024

Austin Ekeler is slated to be a free agent.

Jim Harbaugh, however, would like it if Ekeler remained in the blue and gold when he begins his tenure as Chargers head coach.

“If things go well, it’s going to be because of guys like Austin Ekeler and the players,” Harbaugh said, per Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi. “I like Austin Ekeler.”

Harbaugh is expected to emphasize the running game in Greg Roman’s offense, which the Bolts have struggled with in previous seasons.

“We’re going to have a huge emphasis on the run game, and we gotta block better up front. He’s a tremendous back and we’d love to have him on the team next year.”

Following a trade request this past offseason, Ekeler stayed in Los Angeles after $1.75 million in incentives were added to his contract.

Even though he surpassed 1,000 total yards on the year, Ekeler had a disappointing 2023 season. He suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener, and he wasn’t as efficient on the ground and dealt with drops upon returning, finishing with the lowest scrimmage yards per touch of his career.

Coming off a down season, both as a player and as a team, Ekeler believes that Harbaugh is the guy to get them on the right track.

“I’ve heard great things about him. I’ve heard about he’s a culture-starter, which is exactly what that team needs,” Ekeler said.

“My message for Jim if I’m on that team or not on that team is to make sure we’re holding ourselves to a high standard and the culture is about holding ourselves accountable and holding other players accountable because I think that was lacking last year.”

Ekeler is not far removed from when he led the NFL with 38 touchdowns in 2021 and 2022. So he could still provide some juice to the offense.

Ekeler will keep his options open when deciding where to play in 2024. But one thing that is certain, whether or not he is on the Chargers next season, is that Harbaugh is going to do whatever it takes to establish an efficient ground game to take some pressure off Justin Herbert.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler: ‘We’re the only position being punished for our production’

Austin Ekeler continued to expand upon his viewpoints and the fight for the current running back market.

Austin Ekeler continued to expand upon his viewpoints and the fight for the current running back market. First, he was asked about the Zoom meeting that the top running backs in the league held last Saturday.

“I thought it was important to get together and talk about these issues,” Ekeler said. “These things aren’t going to change overnight. We want to put ourselves in positions as a union to protect ourselves as players.”

Ekeler further detailed the fight against media members using certain analytical figures to devalue the impact running backs have in the league.

“You can put statistics in one way or another to say someone’s worth something, or they’re not. These narratives are putting you down for, ‘well can you keep doing it?'”

Ekeler responded to a tweet from Colts owner Jim Irsay referencing the current CBA. There was some acknowledgment from Ekeler back that Irsay was right about the everyday use of the franchise tag having been agreed to back in 2020.

However, Ekeler said that the running backs must stay united in their messaging against such devices being used by executives and owners.

Using Giants’ Saquon Barkley as an example, Ekeler tried to demonstrate the unmeritocratic nature of the current market. “If Saquon Barkley runs for 3000 yards, ‘alright, we’re gonna franchise tag him again.'”

The quote that perfectly summarized Ekeler’s viewpoints in the presser was when he said running backs are “punished for their production.”

“You have that success, and then you get put into a situation where these narratives are putting you down as far as ‘Well, can you keep doing it?’ We’re the only position right now that seems to be getting punished for our production. It frustrates us.”

It should be noted that Ekeler sees his fight for the running back market and his relationship with the Chargers as two different entities. Ekeler stated his appreciation for the organization and referenced how they met him in the middle with incentives earlier this offseason.

In talking about the actual offense, he seemed visibly excited when answering questions about Kellen Moore. Ekeler cited good energy at camp practices that is “meshing” together Moore’s offense.

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.

"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.

Ranking 9 of the 2020 free agent running backs

There are currently 47 running backs set to hit the free agency market. That’s a lot of ball-carriers who will be looking for a home this offseason. Some of the 47 may not even get a contract. LeSean McCoy looked cooked for the Chiefs and was a healthy scratch. Adrian Peterson had a good year for someone his age, but that’s the key, someone his age. He has a ton of miles on his legs. Lamar Miller just missed the list but that’s because it feels like he’s never lived up to expectations and is injured a lot. So let’s get to the nine backs who made the list. The first running back is obvious.

Derrick Henry

Anyone who watched Henry run during the playoffs knows that he is best back hitting the market. He might not even hit the market. Even if the Titans franchise tag Ryan Tannehill, they can transition tag Derrick Henry thanks to a clause in the final year of the CBA. Henry had 1540 yards and 16 touchdowns in the regular season. He was the focal point of the Titans offense and the key to their effective play-action passing game. The only concern would be that the Titans ran him into the ground a la Dallas and DeMarco Murray.

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