One of the main storylines surrounding the Chargers came to a close when Austin Ekeler agreed to a new contract. The running back’s adjusted pact includes $1.75MM in new incentives, while keeping him on track for free agency next March.

Ekeler has been vocal recently about his desire for a raise putting him in line with the league’s higher-paid backs. His production on the ground and in the passing game point to his two-way ability and thus his value to any number of suitors on the open market. Given his age (28) and position, however, much remains to be seen regarding his earning power in 2024.

“I understand I have one more year that I’m obligated to be here. I wanted to go poke around to see if there was any other value,” Ekeler said, via USA Today’s Tyler Dragon. “If not, come back and have my last year and do what I can do here.”

The former UDFA requested a trade at the start of the league year as he searched for a raise from the $6.25MM he is due in base salary in 2023. With Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard having been franchise tagged, though, the free agent market at the RB spot was underwhelming. The position has been devalued over time, something which played a large part in little interest developing on the trade front for Ekeler before his new Chargers deal was put in place.

“What’s been happening with the atmosphere around the running back market has been pretty tough,” Ekeler admitted. “I am thankful for the way it played out. The Chargers did give me something in the middle, some type of incentive. I am appreciative of that because they didn’t have to do that. I understand there’s a business side to all of this. But I wouldn’t be doing myself service if I wasn’t going and trying to find more value while I can.”

Ekeler will once again be a focal point of the offense in Los Angeles this season, and he will aim to lead the league in touchdowns for a third straight season. His new incentives are directly tied to yardage and touchdown totals, and hitting them will boost his value on the open market. How much his financial stock changes in the near future will be worth watching over the course of the campaign.

Austin Ekeler did not turn up for the Chargers’ initial OTA session Monday, though that is not exactly a surprise. The standout running back, as ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry notes) has made a recent habit of skipping voluntary workouts, but his offseason trade request does make this absence a bit more notable.

That said, the Chargers have long held the line they want Ekeler back this season. Unlike the murkier Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon situations, Ekeler is firmly in the Bolts’ plans for 2023. Brandon Staley said Monday he expects the league’s two-time reigning touchdown leader to show for minicamp in June.

Players can be fined nearly $100K for not being at minicamp. While that is a drop in the bucket for a player with Ekeler’s earning history, minicamps do generally feature 100% attendance. A few players bucked this trend last year, and it will be interesting to see if Ekeler follows suit. The Chargers gave the seventh-year back permission to speak to teams regarding a trade in March, and the TD kingpin’s contract is out of step with his value.

Ekeler, who turned 28 last week, is attached to the four-year, $24.5MM contract he signed in 2020. One season remains on that deal. The Chargers have not done especially well to acquire reliable Ekeler backups during his time as the team’s unquestioned lead back. The Bolts did not make a notable addition to their backfield this offseason, either, keeping Ekeler (38 TDs from 2021-22) a vital presence for the AFC’s Los Angeles franchise.

The Bolts gave their UDFA success story his extension shortly before letting Melvin Gordon walk in free agency in 2020. At the time, Ekeler had not been a true full-time presence in L.A. A 2015 first-round Chargers pick, Gordon served as the team’s primary back — save for a 2019 holdout — during his rookie contract. The Chargers did well to lock down Ekeler to a $6.13MM-per-year deal, but that contract has plummeted to 13th at the position. Although Ekeler bizarrely has not made a Pro Bowl — his well-crafted 2022 ad campaign notwithstanding — he certainly has a case to be called a top-five running back due to his receiving contributions.

This year’s market did not treat backs well, due to the supply-and-demand issue caused by ball carriers’ diminishing status and the flood of starter-caliber players hitting free agency, but several have on extensions in the recent past. Seven eight-figure-per-year RB deals remain on teams’ books, and Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley and Tony Pollard received $10.1MM franchise tags in March. Tepid Ekeler trade interest is believed to have emerged following his trade ask, which came after stalled extension talks. Teams have largely stocked their backfields for 2023.

The 2020 CBA effectively deterred training camp holdouts, upping fines to a non-waivable $50K per day (for players on non-rookie deals) once camp begins. Although Ekeler does not need to worry about the accrued-season component of the CBA’s language pertaining to training camp absences, he would risk losing considerable cash by staying away once camp begins. A “hold in” measure — an increasingly popular move for disgruntled players in 2020s — could become a consideration, should this stalemate continue into August. The Chargers would certainly miss Ekeler’s presence, with few backs capable of his performance level.

The Chargers have two $20MM-per-year wide receivers (Keenan Allen, Mike Williams), and Justin Herbert is due a monster extension. Though, whopping Herbert cap numbers are unlikely to emerge until around Year 3 of his expected extension. As minicamp nears, however, Ekeler remains attached to a contract he has outplayed.

The beginning of the new league year was flooded with moves in free agency, but one of the most notable storylines to emerge was Austin Ekeler‘s trade request. The Chargers running back has one year remaining on his contract, and even though he has been given permission to find a trade partner, he realizes a seventh season with his only NFL team to date remains a distinct possibility.

“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,” the 27-year-old said while appearing on Sirius XM’s Fantasy Sports Radio. “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” (h/t NFL.com’s Nick Shook).

Ekeler is due to make $6.25MM in 2023, the final year of a $24.5MM extension which ranks him far lower in the RB pecking order than his production would merit. The former UDFA has led the NFL in total touchdowns each of the past two campaigns, eclipsing 1,500 scrimmage yards in three of the past four years. A long-term deal coupled with a sizeable raise – rather than discontent with the Chargers – was the reason Ekeler gave for asking to be dealt this offseason.

As he explained in his latest public comments on the subject, contract talks he had last year with Los Angeles fell well short of producing a new deal. He mentioned that he felt he “kind of got punched in the face” in 2022’s negotiations, adding that no tangible progress was made after this past season, one in which he set new career-highs in both rushing (915) and receiving (722) yards.

“It was around the combine that a lot of these talks start[ed] happening,” Ekeler said. “Basically, we just could not even get close to… it wasn’t even much of a negotiation. It was just kind of a, more so ‘hey, this is what we’re thinking, this is what they’re thinking,’ and it was just OK, we are not on the same page, let’s just end this because I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

This offseason has seen several modest deals given to free agent backs, the latest sign in the decline in value at the position. That, coupled with his age, could make it challenging for Ekeler to find a suitor willing to commit to a lucrative deal. Indeed, it was reported last month that a strong market was not expected to emerge for him. As attention starts to turn to the draft, Ekeler reiterated his willingness to remain with the Chargers at least one more year as he eyes a new pact.

“Look, I guess the worst-case scenario right now out of all of it, I’ll come back and I’ll have to play for the Chargers for a year and bet on myself and then be a free agent next year.”

The Chargers currently have just under $15MM in cap space, and would clear all but $1.5MM of Ekeler’s $7.75MM cap hit with a trade. The team has a number of other financial priorities, including a monster deal for Justin Herbert. In the absence of progress on the extension or trade fronts, though, Ekeler could find himself suiting up in familiar territory next season.

One of the top storylines to emerge last week was running back Austin Ekeler‘s request to seek a trade sending him away from the Chargers. Los Angeles has given him permission to do so, making this situation one to watch. The veteran recently spoke on his trade request and his openness to remain in Los Angeles during an appearance on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast.

“I think it’s really important to put it out there that it’s not like, ‘Oh, I hate the Chargers and I need to get out of this organization, and I need to leave,” Ekeler said. “That couldn’t be further from the truth. I would like to stay if it was under the right circumstances.” (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com).

The 27-year-old has one year remining on his current contract, a four-year, $24.5MM deal which has given the Chargers tremendous value given Ekeler’s production. He has topped 1,500 scrimmage yards three times in his career, and led the NFL in total touchdowns in each of the past two campaigns. That production would likely put him in line for a sizeable raise on the $6.25MM he is due in 2023 (or, more generally, the $6.125MM AAV of his existing pact) if he were a free agent now.

The former UDFA ranks 14th in the league in terms of average compensation at the running back position, one which has traditionally been undervalued relative to most others. This year’s free agent period has continued that trend, which will make it interesting to see how much interest other teams will have in acquiring Ekeler at a high trade and/or financial cost. Pushing closer to the top of the pecking order on his next deal is clearly his priority, though.

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

Given his age, a lucrative investment on the part of the Chargers or any other team could carry significant risk. As the Western Colorado product noted, however, his skillset differs from that of traditional, between-the-tackles workhorse backs. Ekeler has received more than 200 carries only twice in his career, and 48% of his total yardage has come in the passing game. That could help the 5-foot-8 back extend his production deeper into his career than many others at the position.

Ekeler reiterated his affinity for the Chargers, adding, “I want to be there, but on the right terms.” Los Angeles’ offense would look dramatically different if a trade were to take place, given the team’s struggles to find a consistent backup RB in recent years. A new round of extension talks could help continue the relationship between team and player, but the potential market from outside suitors could drive him to a new NFL home in the near future.