Austin Ekeler appears to be available in a trade. Could the Buffalo Bills get a deal done with the Chargers?
While Monday was the beginning of free agency with the start of the legal tampering period, there was big news of a potential player being available in a trade and Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane should take note.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Los Angeles Chargers and Austin Ekeler have appeared to come to an impasse in their negotiations on a new deal. Schefter tweeted that Ekeler’s agent has requested permission to speak to other teams in hopes to facilitate a trade for the former Pro Bowl running back.
If the Buffalo Bills were to be interested in trading for Austin Ekeler, this would be a little more complicated that a standard trade negotiation. The reason is that a new contract would need to be finalized for Austin Ekeler.
The good news for the Bills is that this sometimes can lower the asking price from the Chargers. However, a good framework for a potential trade would be what the Carolina Panthers received for Christian McCaffrey during the season from the San Francisco 49ers, which was a second, third, and fourth round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and a fifth round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
With that in mind, these are three trade packages that the Buffalo Bills could offer for Austin Ekeler.