Commanders' Austin Ekeler: Headed to Washington

Ekeler is signing a two-year contract with the Commanders, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The deal reportedly is worth up to $11.43 million, but with only $4.82 million guaranteed in the first season and a significant portion being incentives. Ekeler turns 29 in May and is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he experienced a massive downturn from his 2021-22 production while dealing with a high-ankle sprain and poor blocking. Even if he can't recapture his peak form, he should be useful as a passing-down back given that he has 3,884 career receiving yards and 30 receiving TDs. The Commanders likely envision Ekeler and Brian Robinson sharing backfield snaps, though it might look quite a bit different than Robinson's split with Antonio Gibson in 2023 (Gibson is signing with the Patriots, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). The Commanders have a new offensive coordinator (Kliff Kingsbury) and are widely expected to acquire a new quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.