The Los Angeles Chargers chose to sign Austin Ekeler to a four-year, $24.5 million contract, making him a key member of the offense. After signing on the dotted line, Ekeler spoke out on his new contract with Los Angeles.
“Feels a little overwhelming,” Ekeler said, via Gilbert Manzano of the Orange County Register. “Coming from a spot where I’ve had some success on the football field, but now it seems like I’m also getting compensated for that as well. Before I kinda felt like I was giving the Chargers a little discount, but had to happen for me to get to this point, so it feels a little overwhelming, but also like a little relief at the same time.”
Ekeler came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Western State in 2017. As an undrafted rookie, Ekeler signed a three-year, $1.6 million deal with the Chargers. In his first three seasons, Ekeler spent the majority of his time on special teams.
However, this past season, Ekeler was able to get some exposure after filling in during Melvin Gordon's holdout. In the four games that Gordon was absent, Ekeler thrived in the offense. The small college product totaled 490 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns while Gordon remained away from the team.
Following the 2019 season, both Ekeler and Gordon were set to become free agents for the Chargers. Instead of signing Gordon to a multi-year contract, Los Angeles has chosen to sign the 24-year-old running back out of Western State.
It's safe to say that Ekeler is grateful to go from being an undrafted rookie to making $15 million in guarantees.
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