Contract Terms
Former Los Angeles Chargers star running back Austin Ekeler plans to sign a two-year deal worth up to $11.43 million with the Washington Commanders. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Ekeler gets a $3 million signing bonus and $4.82 million total in Year 1, with a chance to earn another $1.5 million in incentives this season.
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Fantasy Football Impact
Ahead of the 2023 season, Ekeler, in the final year of a four-year $24.1 million contract he signed in 2020, demanded a trade after he and the Chargers couldn't agree to a long-term extension. Eventually, Ekeler returned on a revised deal with added incentives and then had one of the worst seasons of his career.
He ran 179 times for 628 yards while catching 51 passes for 436 yards in 14 games. Ekeler averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, struggled with drops, and had just five rushing touchdowns after getting 25 combined in the two previous seasons. He also had a single touchdown catch last season.
As ESPN.com reminded readers, the Chargers signed Ekeler as an undrafted free agent in 2017, and he emerged as one of the league's top backs, eventually allowing the team to move on Melvin Gordon, who they drafted in the first round in 2015. Since then, Ekeler has established himself as one of the league's premier pass-catching running backs.
For his career, Ekeler has rushed for 4,355 yards with 39 touchdowns and has 440 receptions for 3,884 yards and 30 touchdowns.
In his first season as the starter, Ekeler had 1,550 yards from scrimmage, and since 2021, he has had the most touchdowns by a running back in the NFL (44). While Ekeler has been an effective rusher, he's been most impactful with the Chargers as a receiver, setting what was then the single-season franchise record for receptions in 2022.
According to NFL.com's Nick Shook, the Commanders should focus on that receiving role, with Ekler serving as a pass-catching complement to starter Brian Robinson. That makes even more sense, as Antonio Gibson moved on to New England as an unrestricted free agent earlier today.
Unfortunately, we can't look back at Gibson's 2023 RB39 finish (that included 48 catches for 389 yards) to get a feel for Ekeler's range of outcomes. With a new coaching staff led by Dan Quinn and an offense run by coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, the Commanders are starting from scratch.
Still, as Footballguy Jason Wood suggested, "Ekeler getting rotational RB2 money" is a tell. Our colleague Dave Kluge agreed.
"That money tells me Ekeler is going to take the vacated Gibson role," Kluge wrote. "Brian Robinson Jr feels like a Dan Quinn guy."
Ekeler opened the offseason ranked as RB35 on the initial Footballguys 2024 Draft Rankings. After this move, an optimistic assessment might characterize that as the upper end of his range of possible outcomes.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
Robinson's value seems locked in at this point. The money suggests his role will be similar to what we saw last season, with Ekeler nibbling at it from the edges on passing downs. His current RB24 ranking seems on point, and an RB2 finish this year is a reasonable expectation.
In Los Angeles, Ekeler's departure was already baked into the cake. And while the team added former Ravens running back Gus Edwards earlier today, it feels like more work will be done here. We'll watch for more on that as we get through free agency and head for April's NFL Draft. For now, Edwards' RB57 ranking is low.
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Overview
Former Los Angeles Chargers star running back Austin Ekeler plans to sign a two-year deal worth up to $11 million with the Washington Commanders. The contact suggests a secondary role for Ekeler, likely as a receiving complement to starter Brian Robinson Jr. Such a role will limit Ekler's fantasy value, with RB3 numbers likely at the upper end of the range of possible outcomes.