This offseason is all about change for the LA Chargers. Los Angeles hired Jim Harbaugh to be the team's next coach to officially kickstart a new era. As a result, there have been quite a few Chargers who have left for other teams in free agency this offseason.
Saying goodbye to a player can be extremely hard for a fanbase but it could also be quite easy. It all depends on how that player was performing at the end of their tenure, and what kind of impression they left.
There are some former Chargers that the fanbase will undoubtedly miss next season, but there are also a few former players who fans were excited to see leave.
Chargers fans should be glad Austin Ekeler is gone
Sometimes a marriage just goes sour and it is best for everyone to move on. It isn't necessarily one side's fault as both sides need to turn a new leaf to be the best version they can be. That is exactly the situation that was in play with Austin Ekeler.
As great as Ekeler has been for the Chargers, there was some tension between he and the fanbase after his failed trade attempts last offseason. Those failed trade attempts were not backed up by good play as Ekeler put together the worst season of his NFL career (something for which he recently blamed the Chargers).
Ekeler still has value as a pass-catching back and who knows, he may find a second wind in his career now that he has reunited with the head coach who gave him a chance, Anthony Lynn. But it was never going to work out again for the Chargers and with a new regime, it was a natural inflection point for the two sides to go their separate ways.
Chargers fans should always cherish and appreciate what Ekeler accomplished during his tenure with the team. But they do not have to miss him after the 2023 season he had.