Ranking Austin Ekeler’s Five Best Landing Spots

Here are the teams that should be calling the Chargers to ask about their star running back.

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler doesn’t need anyone to remind him he plays a devalued position.

Ekeler benefited from the Chargers’ refusing to meet Melvin Gordon’s contract demands, which led to Gordon holding out for 64 days and missing the first three games of the 2019 season.

The Chargers forgot about Gordon after Ekeler delivered 154 total yards and three total touchdowns during the season-opener against the Colts. Ekeler did more of the same throughout that breakout season and turned Gordon’s negotiating mistakes into a four-year, $24.5 million contract extension, while Gordon failed to find his form on the field and left the Chargers empty-handed.

Ekeler knew the risks before his agent asked permission to explore trades, which the Chargers granted Tuesday, Sports Illustrated confirmed. But Ekeler is a savvy opportunist, which is why he didn’t hesitate to accept a contract that paid him about $6 million per year, a bargain for the Chargers the past three years given how productive Ekeler has been as a rusher and receiver, and how helpful he was, first for Philip Rivers and then for the development of Justin Herbert.

It was a nice pay raise at the time for a player who went undrafted in 2017. This reporter heard several times as a former Chargers beat writer the fable of Ekeler, the small but strong running back who earned a roster spot because of a memorable preseason finale performance as a rookie.

But Ekeler is no longer a special teamer nor a spot starter. He’s the ultimate on-the-field best friend for a quarterback, and that could lead to interest in him on the trading block.

And who knows what Ekeler is looking for in a contract, but again, he knows the position is devalued and might just be looking for guaranteed money for the short term. Ekeler doesn’t have guaranteed money on the final year of the extension he signed in 2020.

If Ekeler isn’t seeking top-tier money, trading him would be less complicated for the Chargers if they see no resolution to Ekeler’s contract dispute.

Here are five trade destinations for Ekeler and why they make sense:

Note: There are only two trade proposals below, because the three other teams can probably get away with trading a Day 3 draft pick for Ekeler. It will likely be tough for the Chargers to get a higher draft pick for a running back seeking a new contract and entering his age-28 season, which might lead to both sides finding a resolution.

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Darren Waller went for third-round picks this week. Cornerback Stephon Gilmore is 32 but had another productive season, and the Colts got only a fifth-round pick for him from Dallas.