Austin Ekeler is slated to be a free agent.
Jim Harbaugh, however, would like it if Ekeler remained in the blue and gold when he begins his tenure as Chargers head coach.
“If things go well, it’s going to be because of guys like Austin Ekeler and the players,” Harbaugh said, per Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi. “I like Austin Ekeler.”
Harbaugh is expected to emphasize the running game in Greg Roman’s offense, which the Bolts have struggled with in previous seasons.
“We’re going to have a huge emphasis on the run game, and we gotta block better up front. He’s a tremendous back and we’d love to have him on the team next year.”
Following a trade request this past offseason, Ekeler stayed in Los Angeles after $1.75 million in incentives were added to his contract.
Even though he surpassed 1,000 total yards on the year, Ekeler had a disappointing 2023 season. He suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener, and he wasn’t as efficient on the ground and dealt with drops upon returning, finishing with the lowest scrimmage yards per touch of his career.
Coming off a down season, both as a player and as a team, Ekeler believes that Harbaugh is the guy to get them on the right track.
“I’ve heard great things about him. I’ve heard about he’s a culture-starter, which is exactly what that team needs,” Ekeler said.
“My message for Jim if I’m on that team or not on that team is to make sure we’re holding ourselves to a high standard and the culture is about holding ourselves accountable and holding other players accountable because I think that was lacking last year.”
Ekeler is not far removed from when he led the NFL with 38 touchdowns in 2021 and 2022. So he could still provide some juice to the offense.
Ekeler will keep his options open when deciding where to play in 2024. But one thing that is certain, whether or not he is on the Chargers next season, is that Harbaugh is going to do whatever it takes to establish an efficient ground game to take some pressure off Justin Herbert.
