6 Chargers who definitely won't be back next season

The 2023 regular season is officially over and it did not go how the LA Chargers were hoping it would. A year after winning 10 games and making the playoffs, the Chargers put together a disheartening season that resulted in both the head coach and general manager getting fired.

Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco are not the only ones who won't be in the building for the 2024 season. For several players on the Chargers roster, the last game of 2023 represented the last time they will ever wear the powder blue.

There are several players whose futures are up in the air. These players (looking at you Joey Bosa, Gerald Everett, and Alohi Gilman) could leave or return and it is hard to decipher. While time will ultimately tell with those players, let's dive into the players who we already know will be off the team in 2024.

6 Chargers who definitely won't be back next season:

Austin Ekeler

This was evident before the season even started. Austin Ekeler requested permission to seek out a trade after extension talks between he and the organization fell through. No trade was on the table and Ekeler ultimately returned for the final year of his deal.

Ekeler did not do anything in his final year under contract to prove that he is worth a new, expensive deal. The veteran running back turned in the worst year of his professional career and after that, there is no way the Chargers can justify bringing him back.

Ekeler himself all but confirmed after the game that he would not be returning to the Chargers next year. That ends all the speculation right there.

With how bad Ekeler looked in 2023, it would not be surprising if every team stayed away from him. Running backs age quickly in the NFL and most teams would probably prefer to bring in younger running backs with fewer miles on their legs.

Whether or not Ekeler is in the league next season is up in the air. Ekeler not being on the Chargers is etched in stone.