Austin Ekeler Requests Trade From Chargers; Bills Target?

Austin Ekeler and the Los Angeles Chargers have been in preliminary contract extension talks, but the lack of progress has him apparently wanting a trade.

Austin Ekeler apparently wants out of Los Angeles. According to his agent, Cameron Weiss, Ekeler has requested permission to speak with other teams about a trade, per ESPN.

Ekeler has been one of the most productive members of the offense since joining the Chargers and is set to make $6.25 million in 2023.

Ekeler and the Chargers have been in preliminary contract extension talks, but the lack of progress has him wanting to change scenery.

The Bills desperately need to upgrade at running back to help quarterback Josh Allen. Buffalo has been without a 1,000-yard rusher since LeSean McCoy last reached that mark in the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Enter Ekeler, who led the league the past two seasons with 20 and 18 touchdowns, respectively. He also caught a career-high 107 passes last season while rushing for 915 yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He also added 722 yards receiving.

Adding Ekeler as a featured running back in the Bills offense would reduce the workload on James Cook, who is used more of a pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Buffalo is also about $19 million over the salary cap per OverTheCap, and they'd have to figure out a way to reduce that number closer to zero and be able to take on some of the rest of Ekeler's 2023 salary.

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