Austin Ekeler Makes Recruiting Pitch To Tom Brady To Join Chargers
BOSTON (CBS) -- Austin Ekeler just signed a shiny new contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. He'll soon have a shiny new quarterback. It seems like he hopes it will be Tom Brady.
Ekeler was a guest on "NFL Total Access" on NFL Network, and with Philip Rivers' tenure with the Chargers being over, he was asked if he'd like to play with Tom Brady. The answer was a resounding yes -- and then some.
"I think it would be amazing to play with Tom Brady," Ekeler said. "I feel like, I've been playing with Philip and he's like the GOAT and been in the Chargers organization for so long that he's kind of a legend there. And then you have Tom Brady, who's on the other side of the country, and he's the legend over there. So if I got to play with them, it would be an amazing opportunity. I feel like I will have been able to play with two GOATs over a century."
Ekeler was then asked to make his pitch to convince Brady to move his life to L.A.
"Well the only thing -- here's why I think it would be a good fit," Ekeler answered. "We just lost a lot of leadership in Philip Rivers, so it's like, all right. There's a void there now. Also Russell Okung, one of our tackles, got traded. He was one of our team leaders as well. So there's some void in leadership right there. And it's an opportunity for people to step up. But if you bring in a guy like Tom Brady in the room -- he's been there, done that. He's already got the leadership qualities and he's already proved that he's a winner. So we could build something around that too."
Host Lindsay Rhodes noted that that case was more of a plea than a pitch. Ekeler adjusted.
"I feel like we have the pieces to make a run, regardless of who [the quarterback] is," Ekeler said. "I feel like that void is there, but it's going to be filled by somebody. But we just have the talent around him to, whoever that person is, to make that person successful and make it a little bit easier on them, whether it's running the ball or passing the ball."
Ekeler, the Chargers, and the football world at large will get their answer on Brady in about a week. Until then, the recruiting pitches will continue to be transmitted.