The Chargers waved the white flag on their season by firing head coach Brandon Staley and General Manager Tom Telesco last week, but running back Austin Ekeler isn’t ready to race through the final three weeks of the campaign.
Ekeler failed to work out a multi-year extension with the Chargers ahead of the season, so he’s set for free agency come 2024 and he hasn’t had the kind of contract year you’d like to have in that situation. Ekeler missed time with an ankle injury, he’s averaging a career-low 3.6 yards per carry and he’s only caught 40 passes after notching 107 receptions last season.
On Tuesday, Ekeler said it’s “been tough” this season and that he’s looking at the final weeks as a chance to put something better on tape for any team that might be interested in him next season.
“I know I’m the same player,” Ekeler said, via Kris Rhim of ESPN.com. “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.”
One of the reasons the Chargers and Ekeler couldn’t come to an agreement was because older running backs tend to see their productivity decline and nothing about his 2023 season has argued that Ekeler will be an exception. The final three weeks offer a chance to end on a higher note, but it will be hard to totally change the narrative in place for the longtime Charger.