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- Mar 19, 2019
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It was unlikely Melvin Gordon was returning to the Chargers anyway, but Austin Ekeler‘s new deal last week made that crystal clear.
Gordon, who becomes a free agent next week, will find a new home. Ekeler now is the Chargers’ starting running back.
“For me as a player in the NFL, we need Melvin to get paid,” Ekeler said Tuesday on NFL Network. “Cause the market for running backs is a lot lower than any other market as far as pay and things like that. It’s a double-edged sword. We want him here, but we always want him to get paid. Especially as a running back — and all the other running backs — we need some people to set the market, the Pro Bowl guys need to set the market.
“We need Derrick Henry. We need those guys to get paid.”
It was Gordon’s holdout to open last season that gave Ekeler his chance to prove he can carry the load. Ekeler did.
Ekeler played 57 percent of the offensive snaps in 2019, gained 1,550 all-purpose yards and scored 11 total touchdowns.
“I have the same mentality going forward, as far as now it’s been build off last year,” Ekeler said. “It’s literally just been build and build and build and so that’s how I see this moment; it’s just another pedestal to build off of.”