Pro Bowler Austin Ekeler found a new home this offseason. Ekeler joined the Washington Commanders after a spirited career with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers underwent some major changes this offseason. Gone is Brandon Staley, and in his place is Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh, who won a National Championship at Michigan this year, returns to the NFL after finding success with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014.
But Ekeler and Harbaugh weren’t a match, it seems. The former Chargers star discussed his decision to leave the team with Kay Adams this week. Ekeler explained why he exited the team on Up & Adams, and to his credit, it’s sound reasoning.
New @Commanders RB @AustinEkeler on why he and the #Chargers ultimately ended up parting ways…
“They wanted a guy to hand the ball off to 300 times a year… that’s not my game. There was a misalignment there, no harm no foul.”@heykayadams pic.twitter.com/9KBd1Lmpr5
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) June 17, 2024
“I think you can kinda see how they’ve been building the team this offseason. … They want a guy they can hand the ball off to 300 times a year,” Ekeler said. “And look, I haven’t had the capacity to do that.”
Ekeler might not be an every-down-back, and his skill set doesn’t really show those tendencies. He’s been good in the run game and in the pass game. It just wasn’t a match, it seems, but the former Chargers star had no ill will to the team’s new leadership either.
The NFL world had much to say about Ekeler’s explanation for leaving the Chargers. Many were left confused by it. In fairness, a running back shying away from carries is somewhat uncharacteristic.
Justin Herberts support was having running backs who didn’t wanna be running backs. https://t.co/CtbENEbgNu
— RAD🛥️ (@The___RAD) June 17, 2024
running backs used to complain to the media if they didn’t touch the ball 25 times per game what happened to our great game https://t.co/OSkYK343hV
— lil bump stock (@m_booker1) June 18, 2024
No, Austin. They wanted somebody who could simply move the chains, rather than staying behind them. 👇🏼 https://t.co/ZtHUngi6l8 pic.twitter.com/awSE7hxqz1
— Ryan DePaul (@RyanDePaul) June 17, 2024
Yes a running back being able to run the ball was definitely something we considered valuable. https://t.co/2OAxdJHH2k pic.twitter.com/fn4c3TPQ9E
— BoltzGalaxy⚡️🪐 (@boltzgalaxy) June 17, 2024
