NFL Analyst Believes Austin Ekeler Might Be Delusional In His Contract Approach

He does agree that Ekeler is underpaid right now.

I can confidently say that not many fans of the Los Angeles Chargers looked at Austin Ekeler's stats over the past handful of seasons and believed that he should only be making $6 million next year. It is clear how important he is to LA's offense and certainly should have been extended by now if they had the money to do so.

Unfortunately, the Chargers have had to pull a ton of strings just to get themselves in a solid cap situation. They went on a binge last offseason to strengthen their defensive line and also have to put money aside for when Justin Herbert becomes eligible for his new contract.

Ekeler has been the odd man out and he revealed his true feelings towards the franchise right now, ensuring that he wants to remain with the Bolts but also wants to play somewhere that will want him long-term and match his value. ESPN analyst Ryan D. Leaf hopped on an episode of his Straight Line podcast and gave Ekeler the hard truth of his contract pursuits.

"He was their leading receiver with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen on that team," said Leaf. "He scored more touchdowns in the last couple of years than them, I think 38 touchdowns. He is an incredibly impactful player for this team, incredibly productive. He's delusional if he thinks he's going to get paid money that no one's going to pay because the running back position is so devalued."

When looking at the highest paid players by position in the league last season, quarterback came in number one with Aaron Rodgers bringing in around $50 million. However, looking at running back, that position ranked number nine as Christian McCaffrey raked in $16 million. 

At the end of the day, money is money but Ekeler sees how much better his team performs when he is on the field and wants his respect. He continues to get closer to his first 1,000 yard season as he surpassed the 900 mark in both 2021 and 2022.

Hopefully, progress of some sorts is made soon and we will finally be able to get a firm answer on Ekeler's NFL future.