3. Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers’ 2023 offseason got off to a somewhat-surprising start when the team decided to bring back head coach Brandon Staley. The only thing that was worse than Staley’s roster management in Week 17 going into the postseason was his team’s epic collapse against the Jaguars in the playoffs.
Many NFL pundits were certain that the Chargers would fire Staley but they committed to him for at least another year with Kellen Moore moving to Los Angeles from Dallas to be Justin Herbert’s new offensive coordinator. The Chargers managed to keep Keenan Allen around after some questions about his contract, but will the same be true for running back Austin Ekeler?
Chargers’ RB Austin Ekeler is requesting permission to speak with other teams about a potential trade after preliminary talks with the team aimed at a contract extension did not progress, his agent Cameron Weiss told ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2023
Asking permission doesn’t mean you’re going to get your trade request granted, but Ekeler is certainly deserving of a big pay day after scoring about 900 touchdowns in the last couple of years. All kidding aside, any deal to trade Ekeler would put the Chargers in a brutal spot considering how much he does for their offense right now.
The Chargers did agree to a deal on the first day of the legal negotiating window with linebacker Eric Kendricks, a California native and UCLA alum. Kendricks is a veteran who can help Brandon Staley’s defense which is likely to lose a key player in Drue Tranquill.
The Chargers will once again be a strong team in 2023, and with Justin Herbert under center, you can’t help but think they might even be contenders. With that being said, though, how will Herbert fare in a new offense? What are the Chargers going to do with Ekeler?
There are plenty of questions remaining for this team early on in NFL Free Agency.