Getty Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler.
With the 2023 NFL trade deadline now behind us, it can’t hurt to look at which pending free agents could and/or should be of interest to the Kansas City Chiefs next offseason.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay predicted some of 2024’s top free agent and trade candidates among the running backs and has Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler — a 2024 free agent — signing with the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
“It makes sense for Ekeler to land with [a] contending team willing to roll the dice on a return to form,” Kay wrote on November 29. “There’s no shortage of good teams lacking in salary cap space seeking solid running backs, especially ones who can be a game-changer in the passing game like Ekeler has been in years past.”
What to Know About Austin Ekeler
Ekeler, 28, is in his seventh season with the Chargers and is fresh off a 2022 campaign in which he set career-highs in rushing yards (915), rushing touchdowns (13), and receptions (107), and also had 723 receiving yards, which was the second-best of his career for a single season, per Pro Football Reference.
In March, Ekeler requested a trade after extension talks between the veteran back and the Chargers gained no traction. In May, Ekeler and Los Angeles agreed to a revised contract that gave Ekeler an additional $1.75 million in incentives.
This season, Ekeler has seen a dip in production while playing in an offense coordinated by new OC Kellen Moore. He is on pace to set career lows in rushing and receiving yards as well as rushing and receiving touchdowns since his first full season as the healthy clear-cut RB1 with the Chargers (2021). His PFF elusive rating is also way down (36.1), which could be a sign of the aging playmaker taking a step back.
Don’t get me wrong — Ekeler is still a good running back; he’s on pace to finish with over 1,000 all-purpose yards despite being in a “down” year. But given Ekeler’s age and mileage he’s better suited to be a complementary piece in a backfield with another very capable back. No offense to the remainder of the Chargers’ backfield, but — Los Angeles doesn’t have that second running back on its current roster.
Austin Ekeler’s first play back is ELEKTRIC
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How Chiefs Could Be a Fit for Austin Ekeler
For the right price, Ekeler would make a lot of sense for the defending Super Bowl champions as a 2024 free agency addition.
Paired with the physical play style of running back Isiah Pacheco, Ekeler could provide the type of spark the Chiefs received from Jerick McKinnon during the 2022 season (803 all-purpose yards, 9 receiving touchdowns) but have been trying to find this season.
Next offseason, the Chiefs could move on from McKinnon, 31, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, whose rookie contract expires in 2024. That could make a clear path for Ekeler to step in as the No. 2 running back on Kansas City’s depth chart (but he’ll essentially be the 1B option in the backfield).
The tricky part of this, as it usually is, is the finances.
Based on the criteria for his incentives, Ekeler is on pace to earn no money from his incentives this season. Without any of those added incentives, Ekeler is set to make $6.25 million in 2023.
In 2024 when he’s fresh off of what’s likely to be a down season for him production-wise, Ekeler’s value will have decreased, and as a result, he could be worth in the $3-5 million/year range in free agency. That’s great money for a running back who will turn 29 prior to the start of the 2024 season, but cheap money for a team that wants to add a short-term, complementary spark to its offense.
Because of that, the Chiefs will have the cap space available to work Ekeler onto the 53-player roster if they so wish to pursue him.
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