14 July 2023 , 23:37
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Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler is fed up with how NFL teams treat his position group, and on Thursday, he joined a chorus of players speaking out about plummeting valuations for ball carriers. Saquon Barkley and Dalvin Cook have also blasted organisations over inadequate contract offers.
Ekeler, the 2021 and 2022 NFL leader in all-purpose yards, said it's frustrating that below-average wide receivers can make more money than him. His annual wages are below two Chargers receivers — Keenan Allen and Mike Williams — and virtually equal with tight end Gerald Everett. Across the NFL, almost 40 wide receivers bring in more than his $6.1 million yearly salary.
"Let's compare, let's see what the real value-add to a team is," Ekeler said on the Rich Eisen Show. "If I'm looking at some of the backup receivers out here that are still making more than me, and that's going to p*** me off. … I'm like, OK, wait a minute. So, you're telling me… the No. 3 receiver is going to make more than me, and I'm the starter?
"I get more carries; I touch the ball more. I have more of an impact. It causes us to question, right? We're going to fight for that. We're going to fight for, 'Hey, I'm bringing more value to the team than this person. I think I should be compensated for that.'"
Many running backs agree with Ekeler. Barkley could sit out the entire 2023 campaign in protest of the New York Giants not giving him a long-term deal he feels respects his value. His deadline for signing a multi-year contract is July 17.
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With training camps starting around the league in a matter of days, Cook remains a free agent. That's despite him being one of the best ground producers in the NFL over the past five seasons, rushing for 5,639 yards in that span. The Minnesota Vikings released him to clear cap space.
Veteran running back Melvin Gordon, formerly of the Chargers, could be forced to end his career because NFL teams have shown minimal interest in signing him this summer. Before Ekeler, Gordon made perhaps the most incendiary remarks about the treatment of the position group, complaining, "It's literally the worst position to play in the NFL right now. It literally sucks."
Austin Ekeler led the NFL in scrimmage yards in each of the past two seasons, but his salary doesn't reflect it. (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)While Ekeler promised to "fight back" against NFL teams, he acknowledged uncertainty surrounding the future of his ilk. When the highest-paid running back in the league is a rookie, the landscape worries almost everyone.
"When we don't get that [money], absolutely, we're going to fight back," Ekeler said. "We have no choice. … It seems like it's about money, but it's about principle, right? It's about the principle of adding value to a team.
"But then I also get it from the other side. They're like, 'Hey, none of these other running backs are getting paid. Let's just see what happens. Let's franchise tag these guys, and then let's wait a year. Let's see what happens.'… Both sides are playing this game, and how it turns out, time will tell."