While everyone expects that Jim Harbaugh’s first order of business as head coach of the Chargers will be serving as QB whisperer to Justin Herbert, there are a lot of other players he has to attend to, such as their star running back Austin Ekeler, who is heading into free agency.
Speaking to the media this week, Harbaugh spoke glowingly of Ekeler and said that he’d like to have him back on the team next season. He believes that a player like Ekeler can be the difference between things going well in his first year at the helm and not.
“If things go well, it’s going to be because of guys like Austin Ekeler and the players,” Harbaugh said, via ProFootballTalk. “I like Austin Ekeler. We’re going to have a huge emphasis on the run game, and we gotta block better up front. He’s a tremendous back and we’d love to have him on the team next year. But yeah, things go well, it’s kind of because of all the players. If it goes bad, it’s because I’m a bad manager, I’m a bad coach.”
Ekeler is coming off his sixth straight season with over 900 yards from scrimmage. He led the NFL in touchdowns in both 2021 and 2022 before falling back down to earth in an injury-riddled 2023 season.
Jim Harbaugh: Austin Ekeler a “tremendous back,” we’d love to keep him on Chargers. https://t.co/BxwGuC9P3Y
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 10, 2024
Austin Ekeler is likely to command a lot of interest in free agency. He’s turning 29 this season and hasn’t quite hit that dreaded wall that so many great running backs hit at a particular age.
But new general manager Joe Hortiz is going to have his work cut out for him just getting the team under the cap, let alone bringing back Ekeler. OverTheCap estimates that the Chargers are more than $45 million in the red.
It’s one thing to want Ekeler to stay in L.A. It’s another to make it possible.