Ekeler aiming to prove self ahead of free agency

COSTA MESA, Calif. — As the Los Angeles Chargers head into the final three games of their season after firing their head coach and general manager, running back Austin Ekeler told reporters Tuesday he wouldn’t lose focus because of how much he has at stake.

“I’m a free agent after this year,” he said, “and so I’m still painting my résumé.”

Ekeler has emerged as one of the NFL’s top running backs since he joined the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2017. Since 2021, he has scored more touchdowns (44) than any running back over that span, and he has the most receptions of any back since 2019 with 354.

Ahead of this season, Ekeler looked to cash in on his success as he entered the final year of his four-year, $24.5 million contract. But Ekeler and the Chargers couldn’t agree to a multiyear extension, so he requested a trade. Ekeler eventually rescinded that request later in the offseason, returning for a revised contract with added incentives but no additional years, hoping he would perform well enough to earn a top-end contract in the offseason.

But Ekeler has struggled this season.

That was apparent ahead of the Chargers’ game against the Denver Broncos in Week 14, when then-coach Brandon Staley said there would be “competition for carries” due to the Chargers’ putrid rushing attack.

Ekeler is averaging 3.6 yards per carry, which ranks 39th among running backs, and has just 40 receptions through 11 games after setting what was then a franchise record last season with 107. Ekeler missed three games this year with a high right ankle sprain, which, combined with other ankle injuries, forces him to “walk sideways down the stairs every morning.”

But he didn’t attribute his struggles to the injuries on Tuesday; rather, he cited them as reasons the next three games matter so much for him.

“Mainly prove to myself, that’s what ultimately comes down to the decision, like, ‘Hey, are you going to keep playing?'” Ekeler said, “Or do I think I still can? Do I want to? Am I still invested in this? So it’s proving to myself that I still could play at a high level.”

Ekeler said that he has “no idea” if the Chargers’ final three games will be his last with the team but that he would be “really selective” about where he plays next and ensuring that he’s in a “favorable position.”

Ekeler wouldn’t get into specifics but said that coaches have reached out to him throughout the season to inquire about why he has been struggling and why the Chargers are using him in the way they are.

After being a focal point of this Chargers offense for much of the past four seasons, Ekeler has become an afterthought. When asked if he was frustrated by how first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has employed him in the offense, he said, “It’s been tough.”

“I know we came in with the mindset of right, throwing the ball down the field,” Ekeler said, “… so it’s been like, OK, as many checkdowns as I’ve been used to catching, it hasn’t been there because of the philosophy.”

The Chargers’ next three games come against the Buffalo Bills, Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs; for Ekeler, those games serve as an audition for the Chargers and the NFL.

“I know I’m the same player,” Ekeler said. “But that doesn’t matter when it comes to the contracts, when it comes to the media, when it comes to betting, when it comes to all these people that are affected by me, it’s making sure I prove it to you guys.”