The Los Angeles Chargers and ball carrier Austin Ekeler have agreed to a four-year contract that will maintain him with the team throughout the 2023 season, according to ESPN Adam Schefter. The deal is worth $ 24.5 million and includes $ 15 million in guarantees, per Schefter.
Ekeler, 24, was to become a restricted free agent later this off-season.
“The Chargers were the first team to believe in me as an undrafted free agent for Western [State Colorado]”Said Ekeler NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero following the news of this agreement. “Being able to secure my long term future with this team is a dream come true and my ultimate goal is to bring a championship here to this franchise.”
Ekeler first arrived with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2017. After a modest rookie campaign, the 5 foot 10 inch 200 pound saw an increased role in LA backfield during his second season in 2018, especially as a receiver of passes. .
His role grew exponentially last season as Melvin Gordon resisted for the first four weeks of the regular season while looking for a new contract (which he didn’t get). At that time, Ekeler proved to be an effective feature for the Chargers and enjoyed a year of career. He finished with 1,550 yards of scrum and 11 touchdowns in total. A large majority of these totals came via the receiving game as he captured 92 of his 108 targets (85.2 percent capture) for 993 yards and eight scores.
The news of this agreement comes in the wake of a report released Thursday that Gordon plans to test the market when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in a few weeks. Given that Los Angeles has already locked up Ekeler, it seems that Gordon’s days as a loader are numbered, as it would not make much sense for the club to shell out big dough for two runners.