4. Chargers sign Austin Ekeler as an undrafted free agent
Austin Ekeler has been a touchdown machine for the LA Chargers over the last two years and has been one of the most important players on the entire offense dating back to the 2018 season. It is hard to imagine the Chargers over the last five years without Ekeler in the backfield.
And that easily could have not happened. The Chargers signed Ekeler as an UDFA after the 2017 NFL Draft and it was impossible to deny him a spot on the roster after he turned in a fantastic preseason. Since then, Ekeler has been one of the biggest fan favorites on the team.
Unfortunately, Ekeler's tenure with the team could be ending soon as the star running back requested permission to seek out a trade this offseason. Ekeler is not happy with how much he is making on his deal. Speaking of his contract...
3. Chargers sign Austin Ekeler to a four-year contract
Ekeler might not be very happy with his contract right now and it might lead to an ugly divorce between he and the franchise. That does not change the fact that it wasn't an extremely savvy contract for the Chargers when it was signed.
The Chargers hit an absolute home run when they signed Ekeler to a four-year, $24.5 million extension. There were two primary reasons why this contract was such a great one for the Bolts.
First, by doing it earlier than they had to, they were ensuring that the contract lined up with his prime and did not turn into a situation where the Chargers were paying Ekeler past his prime in the last year or two of the deal. Second, the Chargers signed him to a cost-friendly deal before he exploded and raised his value.
If the Chargers would have waited then Ekeler probably would have gotten a four-year, $45-50 million deal when he became a free agent. Telesco was extremely smart to sign the deal when he did.