4 Chargers trade suitors for running back Austin Ekeler

2. Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers made headlines during the 2023 season when they traded Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers. Carolina then continued making headlines into the offseason when they traded up from the ninth overall pick to the first overall pick.

Perhaps the team will look to continue making headlines by getting a quality running back on the roster to help ease the transition of their rookie quarterback. With a thin running back class compared to previous years, this might be the best route the Panthers can take for short and long-term success.

D'Onta Foreman isn't really someone who you want to be your RB1 and it is not hard to see how the Panthers could talk themselves into Ekeler. They would be going from one elite pass-catching back to another and would come out net-positive as they would only have to send a fifth or sixth for Ekeler.

If Carolina does not like any of the rookie running backs then it makes more sense to take a short-term flier for their QB's progression rather than signing one of the free-agent running backs to an overpriced, multi-year deal.

And for the Chargers, they would be getting Ekeler as far away from the team as possible, sending him all the way to the NFC South. There would be no worries of Ekeler coming back to haunt the Chargers in a potentially big game.