The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Ekeler is focused on football, not contract
It’s become a leverage game, as the Chargers’ Austin Ekeler learned the hard way earlier this year when he tried to secure a lucrative, longterm contract extension. The NFL’S owners and their general managers have it and elite running backs like Ekeler around the league don’t.
When his hoped-for extension didn’t materialize, Ekeler asked the Chargers for permission to seek a trade to a team that would reward him in the way he believed he had earned after leading the NFL in touchdowns the past two seasons.
“They shut the door on that,” he said Thursday.
Ekeler wasn’t alone. Several other top backs also didn’t get the new deals they anticipated, including Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants, Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders and Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys. Ekeler then arranged a meeting with his colleagues via Zoom in an attempt at solidarity.
Each situation seemed to be different for each player, but the command thread was they each believed they had earned bigger paydays and that there was a consensus among owners, general managers and the media that there was a law of diminishing returns for established backs.
Ekeler, in the fourth and final year of his $24.5 million contract with the Chargers, received $1.75 million in new incentives in his deal in order to solve a sticky situation. Ekeler can become a free agent at season’s end, and the Chargers could re-sign him to a new contract and retain his services.
Or they could allow him to walk.
“I really wanted to get our top guys together to discuss the situations,” Ekeler said of his Zoom meeting, which also included union executives. “I thought it was important, and it’s going to be more important going forward, just to continue to come together and talk about these issues.”
Ekeler, 28, didn’t wish to hold out during training camp, but he said he understood why others might as they tried to combat the leverage that teams have established over the most productive veteran running backs around the league. It was an important aspect of the conference call.
“When it comes time to football, we’ve got to focus on football,” Ekeler said on the second day of the Chargers’ training camp at Jack Hammett Sports Complex. “There’s a time and a place for all of that. It’s situational. You have some guys that might try to combat it in a different way.
“For me, I was trying to get as much value as I possibly could. I was looking to have some more years with the Chargers and, obviously, we went through the trade to find value somewhere else and they kind of shut the door on that. They came back to the table and it was like, ‘Hey, can we do something?’
“They didn’t have to do that, so I’m very appreciative of this organization for saying, ‘Look, we’re not going to do what you want to do, but here’s something.’ So, it’s a start. For me, that’s what I’m appreciative of and I’m out here now and it’s time for football and it’s time to focus on the bigger picture, which is a contract.
“I signed a four-year deal, so I’m locked in. I love being here. I want to be here longer, but my time for that free agency hasn’t come yet.”
Initial impressions
Ekeler said he delivered a post-practice message to Kellen Moore, the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator. Ekeler made it clear that he had enjoyed everything Moore had in store for an offense that is expected to reach even greater heights with Justin Herbert in his fourth season as quarterback.
“I was like, “Man, I’m excited,’” Ekeler told reporters. “We’re making plays, flying around. Guys are having fun. Guys are healthy right now. There’s this energy feel. Justin is balling out these first couple of days. He got his big contract, so it’s like, man, we’re going in the right direction.
“I feel so good about where we’re going and Kellen coming in and just meshing it all together. We’ll see. Time tells. Coaches don’t really get judged during the preseason. They get judged in the season. We all do.”
Roster addition
The Chargers bolstered their receiving ranks by signing Milton Wright, filling a void created when Jalen Guyton was placed on the physically unable to perform list because of a knee injury suffered last season. Wright earned all-big Ten honors at Purdue in 2021 and caught 99 passes in 29 career games.