Ezekiel Elliott’s Chargers contract expires: Should Los Angeles re-sign RB?

The Los Angeles Chargers added running back Ezekiel Elliott for the playoffs on the chance they needed help behind J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards.

Elliott, though, had his Chargers debut hit a snag and he wasn’t active for the wild-card round loss to the Houston Texans.

Fast forward to Monday, Elliott’s contract with the Chargers expired, as practice squad contracts for players on teams that lost in the opening round officially ended.

So the question now is simple: Should the Chargers bring Elliott back in 2025?

Doing so might make sense. The Chargers didn’t activate Elliott in Round 1 because of the short turnaround before game time. Had the team advanced to the divisional round, perhaps he would have seen the field. A full offseason of working in the system could help him be a contributor in 2025.

The Chargers also have both Dobbins and Edwards possibly heading to free agency. They could reload in the draft and on the open market at the position, but locking down Elliott would provide some veteran insurance in the interim.

That is, provided Elliott wants to sign quickly. If he wants to get ahead of what is likely to be a mild market for veteran rushers before the draft, perhaps a return happens. If he wants to wait long into the summer before picking another hopeful contender again, though, the Chargers might not want to wait on him.

Practice squad contracts expired today for players on teams that lost wild-card games. Free agents now eligible to sign immediately with other teams include:

RB Ezekiel Elliott
WR Jamal Agnew
WR Scotty Miller
WR David Sills
TE Donald Parham
DB Terrell Edmunds
DB Eddie Jackson
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 20, 2025

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