Chargers star Austin Ekeler will not play for another NFL team in 2023. The versatile running back, who requested a transfer due to his contract situation earlier this offseason, will stay with Los Angeles for the upcoming season after paying $1.75 million in incentives added to his contract, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Ekeler has one year left on a four-year, $24.5 million deal (with a $15 million guarantee) he signed in 2020. According to Spotrac, his current projected market value is $12.82 million per year on a three-year contract.
Ekeler, who was signed by the Chargers as an undrafted rookie in 2017, said in March he wants to stay in Los Angeles, but only under the right circumstances.
“It’s literally nothing to do with the relationship,” Ekeler said during an appearance on NFL Media’s Green Light with Chris Long podcast. “I developed a great relationship there. That’s where I grew up. That’s where I started. So I want to be there, but on the right terms. ‘Cause I know I can’t play forever. I think I can play.” It’s just been the way I play and how I deal with myself and my mentality for a long time.
The 28-year-old running back has been one of the NFL’s most prolific skill players over the past two seasons after injuries limited him to 10 games in 2020. Over the past two seasons, Ekeler has rushed for 1,826 yards and 25 touchdowns. He also caught 177 passes for 1,369 yards and 13 touchdowns during that span.
Ekeler has come off a 2022 season in which he scored 13 points while averaging 4.5 yards per streak. He also caught 107 passes — a nearly unmatched number for a running back — for 722 yards and five touchdowns. In 89 career games (with 54 starts), Ekeler scored 34 points and caught 29 more touchdowns for Los Angeles. In that span, he has rushed for 7,125 total yards, having almost as many receiving yards as rushing yards.
Ekeler is part of one of the NFL’s premier skill units, which also includes quarterback Justin Herbert and veteran wideouts Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Josh Palmer. Last season, the Chargers ranked 13th in offense in the NFL in scoring, third in passing, eighth in third-down efficiency, and 20th in red-zone efficiency. However, they only ranked 30th in the league in rushing, with Ekeler’s 915 rushing yards accounting for just over 60% of his team’s total rushing yards.
The Chargers didn’t add running backs in the 2023 NFL Draft, but they did add two receivers. In fact, the Chargers drafted two wideouts from the same collegiate team in Quentin Johnston (with the 21st overall pick) and Derius Davis (with the 125th pick). They also drafted former TCU quarterback Max Duggan with the 239th pick overall. Last fall, the trio helped the Horned Frogs win the college football championship, averaging a whopping 38.8 points per game.