3/15/23
Recently, in a surprising move, Austin Ekeler requested permission from the Los Angeles Chargers to seek a trade. This move comes after contract negotiations didn't end well with the Chargers.
In the 2022 season, Austin Ekeler posted the following stats
Rushing:
204 attempts
915 Rushing Yards
13 rushing touchdowns
Receiving:
107 Catches
722 yards
5 Receiving touchdowns
Along with those stats, he had 5 fumbles, 3 of which were turned over.
Some people speculate that this is a negotiating tactic, to scare the Chargers into making them think he would leave. But honestly, I would be perfectly fine if he is traded. Ekeler isn't considered versatile. You will hardly see him break off in a big run. With his two highest rushing games coming against the Browns(173) and the Rams(122), he hasn't topped 90 rushing yards in any other game.
Now I'm not here to bash Austin Ekeler the whole time. He was a big part of the Charger's offense this past season. Posting 107 catches and 722 yards, leading the team in receptions. Austin Ekeler was Herbert's right-hand man the whole season. If the first read of Herbert's play wasn't open, he would check it down to Ekeler right away. And with Ekelers quick first step and elite Elusiveness, he was fighting for every yard post catch.
Now the thing is with Ekeler, he Averaged 12 carries a game. And one thing he wanted was a true ground-and-pound running back to take some carries away from him. When you look at it, the Chargers were asking Ekeler to take on a heavy workload. He averaged about 7 targets a game, which is why he was looking to have someone run the ball for him. Now of course he would come out and say "Im prepared to take on a heavy workload", but cmon, it wasn't fair to him.
My Take:
So here's my take on Austin Ekeler wanting to seek a trade. I understand that he wants to seek a trade. Back in 2020, Austin Ekeler signed a 4 year $24 million dollar contract. And in this year, will be earning a base salary of $6.5 Million dollars. He more then likely wanting more money due to this workload he has taken. He believes because he is able to do all this, he deserves a lot more money. Which to an extent is true. Recently, the free agency market for Running backs hasn't looked so good. One example is David Montgomery. Who recently signed with the Lions with a contract of 3 years, $18 million dollars. Assuming this, he would be making the same amount as Ekeler this year. I think its about 50/50 on whether he is traded or not. It would be nice to retain him for this year and maybe let him walk in free agency next year. However, teams like
Bears
Bucs
Falcons
Cardinals
and many more could ass use running backs like Ekeler. If we can somehow manage to get a second-round pick in return, I wouldn't mind saying goodbye.
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