This offseason, Chargers’ RB Austin Ekeler was given permission to seek a trade. The 28-year-old ultimately decided that staying in LA was his best option. It’s also a contract year for Ekeler this season. He’s in the final season of a four-year, $24.5 million deal. His agents and the Chargers’ front office have tried to negotiate a deal. 

Ekeler’s biggest issue this offseason is that backup WRs are earning more money than he is as a starting RB. That’s how the market is for RBs in today’s NFL. The salary disparity between WRs and RBs is insane.

Austin Ekeler is not the only RB who hasn’t signed long-term due to contract issues

️ @AustinEkeler

“Let’s compare, let’s see what the real value-add to a team is.” — the #BoltUp RB talked with us about the current state of the #NFL running back market: pic.twitter.com/ZiXcibOiDJ

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) July 13, 2023

The salary disparity between the Top WRs and RBs in the NFL is a significant gap. Miami’s Tyreek Hill is the highest-paid WR annually in the NFL, making $30 million. San Fransisco’s Christain McCaffrey only makes $16 million annually on his contract.

Hill makes nearly double what McCaffrey makes in one season. That’s because RBs have become somewhat expendable in the NFL. The top RBs don’t like to hear that, but there’s truth to that statement. It’s much easier to replace RBs on offense than it is to replace a WR.

Update: #Chargers RB Austin Ekeler: “Seeing backup WRs make more than me piss me off”, via @RichEisenShow

More here:https://t.co/0zr0EDIrD9 pic.twitter.com/AllvZoqdnk

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 14, 2023

Austin Ekeler recently called into the Rich Eisen Show and had a discussion about the current state of the RB market. He said there are third-string WRs in the NFL that are making more money than him. That pisses off Ekeler and other Top RBs across the NFL.

Two RBs in a similar situation right now are New York’s Saquon Barkley and Las Vegas’ Josh Jacobs. Both players were franchise tagged by their respective teams this offseason. However, neither has signed that $10 million franchise tag just yet. They are both willing to wait it out and see what happens.

The deadline for Jacobs to sign is Monday at 1:00 pm EST and Barkley must sign by Monday at 4:00 pm EST. It’s a shame how large the salary disparity is between the league’s top RBs and WRs. You can’t blame players like Ekeler, Barkley, and Jacobs for being upset. They feel like they add value to the roster regardless of position. Sadly, they play one of the most undervalued positions in the NFL.