Chargers grant Austin Ekeler permission to seek a trade

The Bolts’ RB1 could end up in different colors by the start of the 2023 season.

On Monday, Chargers fans were treated to the unfortunate news that the team and Austin Ekeler’s camp could not make any progress on a potential contract extension and that the running back would be seeking permission to look for a potential trade partner, via his agent Cameron Weiss.

Well, Weiss let it be known that that permission was granted on Tuesday which means Ekeler is now free to search out his own potential trade partner in an attempt to find a team that will pay him what he deserves after scoring 38 touchdowns over the past two seasons despite playing for an average of $4.5 million during that span.

He’s far outplayed his contract up to this point and we all know the shelf life of running backs hit a brick wall right around the age of 30, so while he’s still got a pair of seasons before he hits that threshold, he wants to maximize his earning potential before teams truly stop valuing his game as high as they do now.

It’s anyone’s guess just how much Ekeler would garner in a trade, but 38 touchdowns and a versatile skillset would surely raise the floor of what the Chargers could ask for in return.