The NFL offseason is always a wild ride, and we have not been shorted on stories or rumors this year. While the Buffalo Bills haven’t exactly been center stage for the top stories across the league this offseason, they could be soon enough.
Bills fans would agree that this offense is a good one, but is missing just one more piece.
Wednesday, it was reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that the Los Angeles Chargers have officially given star running back Austin Ekeler permission to seek a trade. Ekeler has wanted a new deal, but the Chargers have been unwilling to meet those expectations.
Now that the Chargers have made the news official, there are no more secrets. Ekeler wants out. He wants a new deal, and we knew those things. But now, the Chargers are willing to move on.
Since the rest of the league knows this, we now have to temper our expectations for a trade return. With that in mind, just how exactly could he end up in Buffalo?
From NFL Now: After several attempts by the #Chargers to work out a deal with Austin Ekeler, he now has permission to seek a trade. He discussed, then we discussed. pic.twitter.com/7xMmIzQKJR
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 5, 2023
One of the following three trades could see the Buffalo Bills land Austin Ekeler
In this first deal, the Bills trade edge rusher A.J. Epenesa and a pair of picks in exchange for Ekeler.
Epenesa is on the last year of his contract, and based on how he’s performed since being drafted by the Bills, Buffalo could move on after this year and find a replacement. The edge rusher position is now manned by Von Miller and Gregory Rousseau for the near future, and Epenesa has been wildly inconsistent, especially against the run.
The Chargers get a fairly valuable selection in the third round, this year, along with a fifth rounder next year.
One thing we have to remember when talking about a 27-year-old running back is that the NFL rarely sees these guys paid. And, if Ekeler comes to Buffalo, he’ll want a new deal. That means Buffalo will not only give up draft capital, but commit to Ekeler financially going forward.
In the end, the Bills will likely be committing to Ekeler through age 30, and that’s somewhat scary, which is why they shouldn’t give up the farm. A few weeks ago, we put together some pretty bold trades for the Bills to land Ekeler. However, now, the narrative reads a bit differently.
Trade Number 2
The second trade scenario is a bit different, as the Chargers do not get a player back in return. Instead, the Bills trade a very valuable draft pick to bring Ekeler to Buffalo. Again, this type of trade is assuming Ekeler remains in Buffalo for the next couple of years. If he was only playing through the 2023 season, then a trade like this would be a total overpay. However, taking into consideration Ekeler will be with the Bills for a couple of seasons, if not more, then this makes sense.
The one thing the Bills have on their side, here, is the fact that Ekeler has been healthy for the past two seasons. Not only that, but he’s handled more touches over the past two seasons than he ever has, and it’s not close. So, the fact that he’s been able to hold up and remain fairly healthy is impressive.
Additionally, the sixth-round pick which the Bills get back along with Ekeler will help ease the pain of giving up a second rounder. Getting an equal amount of picks as they entered into the draft with, albeit one of them being much lower, is a small victory on top of landing one of the league’s most versatile running backs.
Trade Number 3
Some Bills fans might hate this last trade, but it has to be discussed. If Buffalo were to go out and trade for Ekeler, then what would happen to James Cook and the newly-signed Damien Harris? One of them would take a significant back seat to the other in terms of overall touches.
Because Harris is the new guy in town and his skillset is far different than Ekeler’s, Cook would end up being the odd man out. So, why not do an even swap? Cook is a second-round pick from a year ago, on his rookie deal, which the Chargers will appreciate, and offers a similar skillset as Ekeler, in theory.
Giving up a 23-year-old running back in exchange for one four years older seems crazy, sure. But, this Bills team is a team that’s ready to win right now. They’re ready to go out and pursue a Super Bowl, and that’s something Ekeler is ready to do as well.
Why do you think he wants out of Los Angeles, other than the fact they won’t pay him? He has to be sick of coming up short, year after year, as are Chargers fans.
This way, the Bills don’t lose any draft capital, they gain a star on offense, and take a whole lot of pressure off of Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs.