The Kansas City Chiefs are no stranger to what Austin Ekeler can do. The former undrafted running back out of Western State in Colorado has spent the entirety of his seven-year career with the Los Angeles Chargers and has tallied over 1,000 scrimmage yards against the Chiefs since entering the league.
Last offseason, Ekeler helped lead the charge for running backs getting underpaid as he entered the final year of his contract. Unfortunately, it didn't lead to anything for him and he went on to have an underwhelming season after two big ones.
Matt Bowen of ESPN has Ekeler giving the ultimate middle finger to the Chargers by joining their ultimate nemesis.
"With Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon heading to free agency, the Chiefs could sign Ekeler on a short-term deal to work in rotation with Isiah Pacheco," writes Bowen. "He would give coach Andy Reid a pass-game threat out of 21 personnel with the ability to flex from the backfield. Ekeler caught 51 passes last season with the Chargers and has 440 receptions in his career."
Austin Ekeler could make the Chargers really mad by joining the Chiefs.
As Bowen said, the Chiefs could lose both Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon in free agency. They have their lead back in Isiah Pacheco but Ekeler would be a nice compliment to Pacheco and, like Bowen alluded to, Ekeler has proven to be a great pass-catcher during his career. Even in a down year in rushing, Ekeler still made an impact as a pass-catcher for the Bolts last year, catching 51 balls for 436 yards.
Even though the Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh to lead the charge for the foreseeable future, Ekeler has to know he has a better chance of winning a Super Bowl in Kansas City than he does in Los Angeles. So, not only could he stick it to his old team for not paying him how he feels he should be paid but he could join their rival and help the Chiefs win three Super Bowls in a row. We like that plan.