Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Staying in LA with new incentives
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Ekeler is expected to remain with the Chargers for 2023 after they added $1.75 million in incentives for the final season of his contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Ekeler requested a trade earlier this offseason, and while a minor adjustment to his current contract isn't exactly what he wanted, it'll apparently be enough to keep him in Los Angeles for one more year without a holdout. The 28-year-old led the NFL in touchdowns each of the past two seasons, scoring 38 times in 33 games while averaging 96.8 scrimmage yards. Ekeler figures to be busy again this season given the questionable backfield depth behind him, though Justin Herbert is expected to push the ball downfield more with the help of new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and rookie first-round wideout Quentin Johnston.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Not present for Day 1 of OTAs
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Ekeler wasn't present Monday for the first day of Los Angeles' OTAs, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Ekeler wanted an extension ahead of the 2023 campaign, which is the final year under his current four-year contract, but with no progress made, he requested and was granted permission to seek a trade. However, he still remains with the Chargers following the draft, and it's becoming more likely he'll have to stick in Los Angeles for at least one more year before testing the open market in 2024. Despite the offseason antics, head coach Brandon Staley has remained steady and expects Ekeler to be present for the mandatory offseason workouts in June.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Not at voluntary workouts
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Ekeler isn't present Monday for voluntary offseason workouts, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.
This was expected, with no progress reported since Ekeler requested and received permission in March to seek a trade. He wants an extension as he heads into the final season of a four-year contract that he's easily outplayed, and his trade request seems to be an acknowledgement that the Chargers are unlikely to give him the deal he wants. There's a possible holdout brewing with the first mandatory team activities only a few weeks away, though it's still possible the team changes its mind on contract terms or finds a trade partner willing to give up a lot for Ekeler. The Chargers don't have much else in their backfield, with returning reserves Joshua Kelley, Isaiah Spiller and Larry Rountree thus far joined by only a pair of undrafted rookies (Elijah Dotson and Tyler Hoosman).
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Could remain in L.A.
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Ekeler, who requested and received permission last month to pursue potential trade options, acknowledged Tuesday in an appearance on Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio that he may remain with the Chargers in 2023. "Time will tell, and we'll see what happens after the draft," Ekeler said, regarding his future with the team. "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 star running back, who turns 28 in May, is in line to earn $6.25 million in the final season of his four-year, $24.5 million deal with Los Angeles. While Ekeler has stated that he wants to remain with the Chargers, his current trade request stemmed from him being unable to make progress in extension talks with the team, thus prompting him to pivot toward looking for a franchise willing to make a long-term commitment to him.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Permitted to seek trade
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The Chargers have granted Ekeler permission to seek a trade, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The report notes that the running back's request stems from a lack of progress in discussions regarding a new contract. Per Lindsey Thiry of ESPN, Ekeler is slated to earn $6.25 million in 2023, the final season of his current four-year, $24.5 million contract. It remains to be seen if his request leads to a trade, or alternatively results in an extension from the Chargers, but either way the star back appears to be angling for a payday more in line with his high level of production.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Reportedly seeking trade
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Ekeler is reportedly seeking permission to speak with other teams about a potential trade, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Schefter suggests that the star running back's reported request stems from a lack of progress in discussions regarding a potential contract extension between the Chargers and Ekeler. It remains to be seen if the team is amenable to moving Ekeler, but under the current terms of his deal with the team, the 27-year-old is due $6.25 million in 2023, the final year of his deal with Los Angeles, per Schefter.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Scores twice in playoff defeat
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Ekeler rushed the ball 13 times for 35 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's 31-30 wild-card round loss to the Jaguars. He added two receptions for eight yards.
Ekeler appeared to be in line for a massive game, as he reached the end zone twice in the first quarter from 13 and six yards away. However, he struggled significantly from an efficiency perspective, particularly in the second half when he had only five carries for zero yards. Perhaps most concerning was Ekeler's continues lack of involvement as a pass catcher, as he earned four or fewer targets in his final five contests. He'll enter the final year of his current contract with the Chargers in 2023 and will undoubtedly continue to serve as the team's lead back.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Nets 70 total yards in finale
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Ekeler rushed 11 times for 34 yards and secured all four targets for 36 yards in the Chargers' 31-28 loss to the Broncos on Sunday. He also lost a fumble.
Ekeler put together a largely pedestrian performance to close out the regular season, although of overriding importance was the fact he came out of the contest unscathed. Ekeler finished the 2022 regular season with three straight four-catch efforts to put the finishing touches on a 107-722-5 line through the air, and he also eclipsed the 900-yard mark on the ground for the second consecutive campaign. Ekeler is naturally slated to play a pivotal role in the Chargers' playoff fortunes beginning with next weekend's road wild-card road matchup against the Jaguars.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Runs through Rams
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Ekeler rushed the ball 10 times for 122 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 31-10 win over the Rams. He added four receptions for 39 yards.
Ekeler saw his lowest carry total since Week 13, though he did plenty of damage on limited touches. The highlight was a 72-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter, which came five minutes of game time after Ekeler had found the end zone from 10 yards away. Though he did plenty of damage as a rusher, Ekeler also bounced back as a receiver, a positive sign given that he had only 24 combined receiving yards across his last two games. With playoff seeding potentially still in the balance, Ekeler could take the field for a Week 18 matchup against the Broncos.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Cleared for Week 17 action
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Ekeler (knee) doesn't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Rams after practicing fully Friday.
Ekeler logged limited sessions Wednesday and Thursday, but the running back's return to a full session Friday paves the way for him to face the Rams on Sunday. Assuming no in-game setbacks, Ekeler -- who has logged a total of 16 TDs in 15 games to date -- should see enough carries and targets Week 17 to continue to maintain fantasy relevance as the Chargers' clear-cut top backfield option.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Logs another limited practice
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Ekeler (knee) was limited at practice Thursday.
Given that Ekeler was also listed as limited on Wednesday's practice estimate, the Chargers' top running back will presumably need to practice fully Friday in order to avoid an injury designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams. So far there's been nothing to suggest that Ekeler's Week 17 status is in danger, but if he's limited at all this weekend, Joshua Kelley would be next up for added backfield touches.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Limited on practice estimate
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Ekeler was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report with a knee injury.
Ekeler's reps were capped in the Chargers' first practice session since Monday's 20-3 win over the Colts. In that contest, Ekeler handled a 60 percent snap share while carrying 18 times for 67 yards and two touchdowns and catching all four of his targets for 12 yards. The extent of the knee issue isn't known, but as long as Ekeler remains a participant in practice in some capacity Thursday and Friday, he should be in good position to play Sunday against the Rams.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Scores twice against Colts
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Ekeler rushed the ball 18 times for 67 yards and two touchdowns in Monday's 20-3 win over the Colts. He also caught all four of his targets for 12 yards.
Ekeler entered the game with concerns about a shoulder injury, but he turned in his second-highest number of carries in a game this season. He didn't find much room to run -- he had only one gain of more than 10 yards -- but managed a pair of scores from one yard away to turn in a productive performance. While he has three touchdowns in his last two games, Ekeler has also been limited to 159 total yards in that span.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Gets shoulder checked out
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Head coach Brandon Staley said Monday that Ekeler had tests done on his shoulder, but they came back negative, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Ekeler briefly left the field during the Chargers' first offensive possession of Week 15, but he quickly returned after getting checked on by trainers. He went on to rush 12 times for 58 yards and a score while securing two of three targets for 12 additional yards. Whatever shoulder issue Ekeler picked up early in Sunday's win over the Titans doesn't appear to be significant and shouldn't impact his availability moving forward, though the running back's participation at practice during Week 16 prep may provide further information on the situation.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Gets into end zone Sunday
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Ekeler carried the ball 12 times for 58 yards and a touchdown and caught two of three targets for 12 yards in Sunday's 17-14 win over the Titans.
The running back got checked out for a possible arm injury after the Chargers' first drive of the game but returned quickly, although Ekeler wound up ceding more work than usual to Joshua Kelley the rest of the way. Ekeler's three-yard TD run in the fourth quarter was his ninth rushing touchdown and 14th total score of the season, and he's 173 yards short of his third career campaign with at least 1,500. He'll look to pad those numbers considerably in Week 16 against a Colts defense that's been trampled by Dalvin Cook and the Cowboys duo of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott over its last two games.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Scores touchdown yet again
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Ekeler carried the ball 15 times for 45 yards and caught all eight of his targets for 59 yards in Sunday's 23-17 win over the Dolphins. He also scored a rushing touchdown.
Ekeler's longest run actually came on a Wildcat RPO as the talented running back was otherwise bottled up on the ground. The 27-year-old continues to be a menace near the goal line, with Sunday's score marking the 13th touchdown on the campaign, good for second-most in the NFL. The pass-catching maven shows no signs of slowing down and will face the Titans in Week 15.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Tallies 100-plus total yards
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Ekeler carried the ball 10 times for 35 yards and also nabbed five of his six targets for 67 yards in Sunday's 27-20 loss to the Raiders.
That marks two straight games in which the Raiders have held Ekeler to under 40 yards rushing, but at least in the rematch the talented back was able to gather a bit more receiving production. Ekeler remains one of the most consistent fantasy running backs given his usage as both a runner and receiver and his ability to finish in the red zone. Even with a handful of difficult matchups to come, the 27-year-old is a set-and-forget stud every week.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Heavy volume as pass catcher
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Ekeler recorded five rushes for 20 yards in Sunday's 25-24 win over Arizona. He added 11 receptions on 15 targets for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Ekeler was bottled up on the ground, with Justin Herbert serving as the team's leading rusher. However, Ekeler managed to make up for it through volume as a pass catcher by matching his season high in targets while recording his third game with 10 or more receptions. The highlight of his performance came with 15 seconds left in the game when he caught a one-yard touchdown that set up the game-winning two-point conversion. Though it's impossible to complain about Ekeler's production through 11 games this season, he has failed to reach 100 total yards in three of his last four matchups.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Posts 100 total yards in loss
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Ekeler carried the ball 19 times for 83 yards and a touchdown and caught both of his targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Chiefs.
After tallying nine receptions in the Week 2 loss to the Chiefs, some expected Ekeler to once again act as a pass-catching maven in the Week 11 rematch. Instead, the do-it-all back was a force on the ground, registering 83 rushing yards, good for his third-best mark since Week 3 of the 2020 season. The veteran's touchdown also put him one behind the current season leader, Jamaal Williams, who has 12 on the campaign -- an amazing stat considering Ekeler didn't score a touchdown until Week 4. The 27-year-old should be primed for another positive outing next week against a struggling Cardinals defense.
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Chargers' Austin Ekeler: Limited to short catches
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Ekeler carried the ball six times for 24 yards and caught seven of his 12 targets for 39 yards in Sunday's 22-16 loss to the 49ers.
The Chargers tried to limit the 49ers' effective pass rush by checking it down to Ekeler, and while the dual-threat running back did snare a handful of tosses, there just wasn't much opportunity to tally yards after the catch. Sunday also saw the end of Ekeler's five-game touchdown streak as the Chargers curiously opted to throw on the majority of their red-zone plays. It should get a bit easier next week as the Chargers take on the Chiefs in a pivotal divisional battle.
