Austin Ekeler is an American football running back for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Colorado and signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
He was born May 17, 1995. Ekeler attended Eaton High School in Eaton, Colorado, where he played high school football for The Fightin’ Reds. Ekeler signed a three-year, $1.66 million contract with a $5,000 signing bonus with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent following the 2017 NFL Draft.
In March 2020, Ekeler agreed to a 4-year, $24.5 million deal as a restricted free agent running back. The contract includes $15 million guaranteed. Ekeler can become a free agent after the 2023 season. In 2021, Austin Ekeler started the Austin Ekeler Foundation with the mission “to help create opportunities for people to fulfil their passions and ultimately their lives.”
Is Austin Ekeler good?
Austin Ekeler finally got himself some respect in this year’s edition of Madden. Unveiled on Wednesday morning, the former undrafted free agent has finally worked his way into the top 10 ratings for running backs. From the jump, Ekeler will begin the year with an 88 overall rating.
Racking up 1,459 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns, Ekeler accounted for 62.4% of the Chargers’ rushing share and a whopping 15.1% of their targets. Over the last three seasons, including 2019 with Melvin Gordon, Ekeler has finished as an RB2 or better in 76% of his games while averaging 19.7 PPR/game.