Ekeler: Negotiated Incentives for 2023 Contract Year

[gzubeck]

I have no idea if I am anti-Ekeler - I just think for 6.25m of cap space - they could make a more well rounded team for this year. Odds are, if the offense gets to where the offense needs to go - Ekeler will not have nearly the output he had this past year. But the team will be better, will score more points, be more dynamic.

I'm in the 6 RB on a team....why...well if you have 4 ekeler type RBs you can line them up as receivers and pay them like Ekeler at what $6 mil per player...helluva lot cheaper than Mdub and KA...then you can add 2 bruiser backs for $3 mil each and for $30 mil you have a pretty powerful offense. (This is a tongue in cheek post with serious implications)

[CanadianBoltFan]

Seems like ekeler will be back and that he’ll play out his contract, it’s not the sexiest outcome for the anti-ekeler crowd but it’s the most likely scenario…as for drafting another RB, I’d like charbonet but I don’t think he’ll be there in the third and the chargers need to address more imprortant concerns than RB in the first two rounds, primarily edge and then after that I’m split between TE, WR, and OL…

can we please take a one year break from drafting RBs? Dernest johnson is still out there, there are other viable veteran guys available for cheap and with kelley, ekeler, and a 1 year flyer coming off the books in 2024 offseason, the 2024 draft is the right time to go RB in the second round next year…

Johnson signed with Jags

I am not anti Ekler...i am anti paying older RB more than the league will and our cap will sustain

Totally fine having Ekler back this year to play out his contract

[sonorajim]

After our starters this team is an empty shelf. We need so much and have no cap room that this particular draft is very important to critical if we're going
to compete for a championship with Herbert at the helm. So I respectfully disagree. If the draft is as deep as some believe we are better off trading
down and getting more draft picks rather than the opposite. Now with that said if Bijan is as good as you say and he isn't taken by lets for arguments
sake say @16 then he may be worth giving up what it would take to get him. But moving to #10 from #21 is a no go.

I gather that you don't approve of our depth.
The implication that we have no more than 25 players that belong in the NFL seems a tad harsh.
I'd like to upgrade starter at TE, slot CB,
Depth at Edge, 3T, C, WR (2) in the draft. That's 7 rookies.
Fill in if cheap upgrades become available post draft.

[charger1_sj]

I think this is bullshit! We still run the ball at least 40% of the time and if you have the luxury of a monster RB there might be times where it's 50% of the time. Might as well move up to draft Richardson who is a passing Running Back. LOL!

Running is important to kill off games. Otherwise running the football only keep the games closer than they otherwise would be. You win games by
passing the football. You waste time by running the football. Where has running the football gotten the Titans? Of course you need some balance
to keep defenses on their toes. But otherwise it's a passing league. If that isn't the case then why is Allen getting paid $19M when Ekeler can't get
$8M?

[charger1_sj]

I gather that you don't approve of our depth.
The implication that we have no more than 25 players that belong in the NFL seems a tad harsh.
I'd like to upgrade starter at TE, slot CB,
Depth at Edge, 3T, C, WR (2) in the draft. That's 7 rookies.
Fill in if cheap upgrades become available post draft.

What depth? Who are the 2nd string OL guys if we run into injuries? You think they hold up enough to not have Herbert in the Hospital?
What about WR? Allen, MW, Palmer and who? DL? LB? CB? Edge? Even RB is a potential issue if we lose Ekeler.

The Eagles lost 7 guys on D but they are still loaded and will content for the Division if not the NFC. If we lose 7 next off season we're done
unless we hit gold in the draft.

Truth is TT 3rd-7th round picks have been a disaster with some rare wins. That's left us with a top heavy roster with very little support underneath.

[Fouts2herbert]

Johnson signed with Jags

I am not anti Ekler...i am anti paying older RB more than the league will and our cap will sustain

Totally fine having Ekler back this year to play out his contract

Here’s a crazy theory about austin ekeler, what if what he ultimately wants is to follow lombardi to the broncos? What if all this trade talk and 12mil per is just bullshit? Ekeler is literally another version of what payton had in new orleans with Kamara, what if herbert wasn’t the only reason that payton wanted to coach the chargers so bad? Ekeler grew up a diehard broncos fan and come to think, he always seems to have subpar games against the broncos…him saying that this contract thing could drag out for months is a call to get cut or traded for a low enough pick that the broncos would then reward that team with a higher pick to then acquire him…and he had his two best seasons as a pro in that offense that they’ll be running in denver…nothing surprises me anymore and it would not surprise me if he forced the chargers to move on from him and signed a smaller deal with denver…so many of these guys are wanting to play for their childhood teams nowadays…IDK, just been thinking a lot about this ekeler thing, maybe too much…

[CanadianBoltFan]

Here’s a crazy theory about austin ekeler, what if what he ultimately wants is to follow lombardi to the broncos? What if all this trade talk and 12mil per is just bullshit? Ekeler is literally another version of what payton had in new orleans with Kamara, what if herbert wasn’t the only reason that payton wanted to coach the chargers so bad? Ekeler grew up a diehard broncos fan and come to think, he always seems to have subpar games against the broncos…him saying that this contract thing could drag out for months is a call to get cut or traded for a low enough pick that the broncos would then reward that team with a higher pick to then acquire him…and he had his two best seasons as a pro in that offense that they’ll be running in denver…nothing surprises me anymore and it would not surprise me if he forced the chargers to move on from him and signed a smaller deal with denver…so many of these guys are wanting to play for their childhood teams nowadays…IDK, just been thinking a lot about this ekeler thing, maybe too much…

Good conspiracy! I will give you that!

[richpjr]

just been thinking a lot about this ekeler thing, maybe too much

I would say so!

[gzubeck]

What depth? Who are the 2nd string OL guys if we run into injuries? You think they hold up enough to not have Herbert in the Hospital?
What about WR? Allen, MW, Palmer and who? DL? LB? CB? Edge? Even RB is a potential issue if we lose Ekeler.

The Eagles lost 7 guys on D but they are still loaded and will content for the Division if not the NFC. If we lose 7 next off season we're done
unless we hit gold in the draft.

Truth is TT 3rd-7th round picks have been a disaster with some rare wins. That's left us with a top heavy roster with very little support underneath.

We have this really cool looking wood veneer but if we get dented were nothing but cheap particle board beneath...

[sonorajim]

What depth? Who are the 2nd string OL guys if we run into injuries? You think they hold up enough to not have Herbert in the Hospital?
What about WR? Allen, MW, Palmer and who? DL? LB? CB? Edge? Even RB is a potential issue if we lose Ekeler.

The Eagles lost 7 guys on D but they are still loaded and will content for the Division if not the NFC. If we lose 7 next off season we're done
unless we hit gold in the draft.

Truth is TT 3rd-7th round picks have been a disaster with some rare wins. That's left us with a top heavy roster with very little support underneath.

OL- Sarrell OT, Jaimes G/T. Draft C/G. Moore playcalling, blocking TE will help Herbert. If we have multiple OL injuries. I like Slater-Salyer-Linsley-Zion-Pipkins. One of the better OL.
Draft 2 WR., a 3T DL. Edge is an early draft pick. Tito is DL Kemon Hall is CB + draft pick
We'll sign UDFAs

[Bolt4Knob]

Here’s a crazy theory about austin ekeler, what if what he ultimately wants is to follow lombardi to the broncos? What if all this trade talk and 12mil per is just bullshit? Ekeler is literally another version of what payton had in new orleans with Kamara, what if herbert wasn’t the only reason that payton wanted to coach the chargers so bad? Ekeler grew up a diehard broncos fan and come to think, he always seems to have subpar games against the broncos…him saying that this contract thing could drag out for months is a call to get cut or traded for a low enough pick that the broncos would then reward that team with a higher pick to then acquire him…and he had his two best seasons as a pro in that offense that they’ll be running in denver…nothing surprises me anymore and it would not surprise me if he forced the chargers to move on from him and signed a smaller deal with denver…so many of these guys are wanting to play for their childhood teams nowadays…IDK, just been thinking a lot about this ekeler thing, maybe too much…

I think the Bengals make a lot of sense actually

[richpjr]

I think the Bengals make a lot of sense actually

Not from the Chargers point of view. While I never thought he'd actually be traded, if that ever came to pass it would only be to an NFC team or a bottom feeding AFC team. Hard to see them strengthening a player competitor.