Running back Austin Ekeler played out the final year of his contract in 2023, so he may not play for Jim Harbaugh in 2024 but he still shared some advice about what the Chargers need with the new head coach.
Ekeler told Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press that the team needs “a culture-starter” and that the culture should be centered on “holding ourselves accountable and holding other players accountable because I think that was lacking last year.” Harbaugh seemed to like that message and said that he’s interested in having Ekeler back with the team as they work to establish improved results in Los Angeles.
“If things go well, it’s going to be because of guys like Austin Ekeler and the players,” Harbaugh said. “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 was looking for a multi-year contract from the Chargers before the season, but wound up agreeing to a revised one-year pact. We’ll find out if the arrival of Harbaugh and new General Manager Joe Hortiz leads to another contract for the running back in L.A.