Austin Ekeler is an American football running back who is currently with the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Colorado and signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2017. In 2020, Ekeler signed a further 4-year $24.5 million contract extension with the Chargers.
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1995, Ekeler attended Eaton High School in Eaton, Colorado, where he played on the school's football team. Even though Ekeler was quite short standing only 5 feet 5 inches in high school, he still had a lot of success as a running back. He finished his high school career with 5,232 rushing yards and 71 trips to the endzone. His senior year of school produced 39 of those touchdowns.
Ekeler then went to Western Colorado University where he played football for the Western Colorado Mountaineers from 2013 to 2016. Ekeler was able to get more than decent playing time even as a freshman and ended the season as the team's leading rusher with 1,049 rushing yards with 7 rushing touchdowns. He continued his exemplary showing for the next three years consistently going past 1,500 rushing yards and scoring at least 14 rushing touchdowns each year.
After declaring for the 2017 NFL Draft, Ekeler found himself going undrafted but was later signed by the Los Angeles Chargers which kept his dream of playing in the NFL alive.
Austin Ekeler Contract Breakdown
After playing 7 seasons with the Chargers, Austin Ekeler signed a two-year deal with the Washington Commanders in March 2024 that will see him play for the Country's capital until the end of the 2025-26 season. Being a running back in the NFL, Ekeler has not earned the big money that other players command in the league. On top of that, his rookie contract was also very low considering he was an undrafted free agent.
Ekeler's current two-year deal with the Commanders is worth $8,430,000 which includes a signing bonus of $3,000,000 and a guaranteed amount of $4,210,000. In the 2024-25 season, Ekeler's contract will have a cap hit of $3,230,000 while the dead cap value is at $4,210,000.
| Year | Base Salary | Signing Bonus | Capt Hit | Dead Cap | Yearly Cash |
| 2024 | $1,210,000 | $1,500,000 | $3,230,000 | $4,210,000 | $4,820,000 ($4,820,000) |
| 2025 | $3,000,000 | $1,500,000 | $5,110,000 | $1,500,000 | $3,610,000($8,430,000) |
How much is Austin Ekeler getting paid?
Austin Ekeler signed a two-year, $8,430,000 contract with the Commanders in March 2024. Ekeler received $4,210,000 million in guarantees, all of which is fully guaranteed at signing. Ekeler received a $3 million signing bonus as well. In the 2024-25 season, Ekeler will earn a base salary of $1,210,000 while he has earned his $3 million signing bonus at the time of signing. The average annual salary of Ekeler's current contract comes to $4,215,000.
Considering the market for running backs is not what it used to be earlier, a two-year deal worth a little over $8.4 million is not a bad deal. Even other running backs at the top of their game are struggling to make a lot of money in today's NFL. Unfortunately for these players, while their contribution remains very important for the teams, their remuneration has taken a huge hit.
How much does Austin Ekeler make in a minute?
With his current contract of $8.43 million, Ekeler's average annual salary comes to $4.215 million. That means his per-minute salary according to this agreement is approximately $8. While this may be comparatively less than many other top players in the NFL, it is worth noting that this is still serious amount of money with respect to the normal working professionals.
What are the terms of Austin Ekeler Contract?
A seven-year vet now, Ekeler has just signed his third contract in the NFL with the Commanders. This two-year contract is relatively simple and does not have much terms associated to it. The deal is worth $8,430,000 with a signing bonus of $3,000,000 and a guarantee of $4,210,000. The Per Game Active Bonus is $30,000 ($510,000).
How much of Austin Ekeler’s Contract is guaranteed?
Out of the $8,430,000 of his 2-year contract, Austin has a guarantee of $4,210,000 all of which was guaranteed at the time of the signing itself.
Austin Ekeler Contract History
Prior to Ekeler's current two-year deal with the Commanders, the running back had signed his first deal with the Chargers in 2017 as an undrafted free agent. Due to his undrafted status, Ekeler received a low contract for 3 years worth $1,670,000. He earned an average annual salary of $556,667.
In 2020, he then signed a four-year, $24.5 million contract again with the Chargers on March 16, 2020. Ekeler received $15 million in guarantees, $13.75 million of which is fully guaranteed at signing. Ekeler received a $6 million signing bonus and his 2020 and 2021 salaries are also guaranteed.
| Contract | Signing Bonus | Average Salary | GTD At Sign | Total GTD |
| 3 yr(s) / $1,670,000 | $5,000 | $556,667 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| 4 yr(s) / $24,500,000 | $6,000,000 | $6,125,000 | $13,750,000 | $15,000,000 |
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FAQs
A. Austin Ekeler was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on May 17, 1995.
A. Austin Ekeler was drafted in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent.
A. Austin Ekeler is 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) in height and weighs approximately 200 lb (91 kg).
A. Austin Ekeler attended Western Colorado University where he played football for the Western Colorado Mountaineers.
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