After Austin Ekeler Rejected Jim Harbaugh, Commanders RB Called Out for Not Wanting to Be on the Field by Tiki Barber

Imagine a player blaming the obvious expectation of having to play multiple times. Sounds strange, right? This is similar to the situation with Austin Ekeler, who finally revealed the reason behind his exit from Jim Harbaugh’s team. As expected, some people are not accepting this explanation. Among those, one is former NFL running back, Tiki Barber.

The Los Angeles Chargers saw some roster change this offseason, including the tagging of RB Austin Ekeler as a free agent. When asked about the reason, Ekeler said that his vision doesn’t match the team’s expectations, the team in which he played for seven years. While talking to the media, the 29-year-old reportedly expressed that he rejected the Chargers because “they wanted a guy that can hand the ball off to 300 times a year and that’s not my game.”

This statement irked Tiki Barber, who joined WFAN sports radio on Tuesday, July 2, to talk about how he felt after listening to it. Reporter Dov Kleiman on his official X account shared the clip writing: “Tiki Barber calls out RB Austin Ekeler for saying 300 carries a year was not my game. You got the Christian McCaffreys of the world, who make $19 million a year. And then you’ve got these other guys who can’t make 8. And you wonder why.”

In the video, Barber could be seen perturbed after listening to Ekeler’s answer. He said, “It was so discouraging, so discouraging.” The former NFL player repeated the now Commanders’ RB’s statement: “they want someone who can run the ball 300 times.” This implies that Ekeler acknowledged his inability to fulfill this expectation, despite it being a traditional role for running backs. Upset Barber further added, “Go look at how many times I ran the ball….He’s just saying it’s not my game….dude, you couldn’t get me off the field.”

Host Shaun Morash said, “That’s a tough thing to say, when he’s the one waving for how much money he wants, you want to be a bell cow or not.”  Barber added “Don’t be a liability on third down. Catch the ball in the backfield….You want to get paid.” Barber later pointed out that the players like Christian McCaffrey manage to do this, and get paid well because of it.

He also mentioned how the mentality in football has changed, with teams giving players maintenance weeks to manage their workload. He found this idea strange and against the nature of football, where every game should matter and players should always want to be on the field.

Meanwhile, Ekeler has made it clear that he didn’t say that without any grounds; he has a specific reason behind it.

Austin Ekeler clarified his statement with a reply to critics!

After creating a buzz on social media with his exit remarks, Austin Ekeler once again talked to the media last month. And to everyone’s surprise, he emphasized that his preference isn’t about shirking team responsibilities but optimizing his strengths. He said, “There’s been this controversy out there, like, ‘Oh Austin said he doesn’t want 300 carries, cause that’s what the Chargers said.’ I’ve never had that many carries ever. So, I don’t know why everybody’s in an uproar.” Ekeler further affirmed his commitment to always give his best on the field.

The running back’s highest rushing yards is 206 attempts in a season. His receiving stats have also varied, from 27 catches in his rookie year to a career-high 107 in 2022, demonstrating his versatility. Explaining his arguably controversial point, Commanders’ Ekeler expressed a desire to continue playing as a running back but emphasized the importance of a balanced workload that includes both rushing and receiving opportunities. This is because he believes it maximizes his effectiveness, especially in critical game situations like the red zone.

Now that Ekeler has found his new home in the Washington Commanders, where he believes the team will allow him to be a dual-threat RB.