Austin Ekeler has put himself right in the middle of the Raiders’ backfield conversation, and he didn’t do it with a whisper.
The nine-year veteran, now a free agent and living in Las Vegas, made it clear this week that a return to the city would mean something personal. Asked about the possibility of joining the Raiders, Ekeler said, “Oh yeah, being in my hometown now, would be a dream for my family.”
That kind of comment doesn’t land unless there’s already a reason for it to matter, and the reason here is Ashton Jeanty. The second-year back sprained his ankle diving for a low pass in practice on Aug. 23 and has spent most of the last week working off to the side. Klint Kubiak has continued to say the team is “counting on” Jeanty for the Sept. 13 opener against Miami, but Tuesday’s reports still had him working with trainers rather than taking team reps.
Ekeler, for his part, is in a holding pattern of his own. He became a free agent on March 11 when his Washington deal expired, and he has already been cleared from the Achilles tear that ended his 2025 season in Week 2. Teams have reached out to his agent, but nothing has turned into a contract yet.
That’s the opening he was talking around when he spoke with 8 News Now’s Madyson Marie. “I’m unemployed right now,” Ekeler said.
“Being in my hometown now, now my hometown anyway, would be a dream for my family. I know that is the situation, right?
We’ll have to see. How is Jeanty feeling?
Do they need another guy?”
The fit is easy to understand. Ekeler brings 43 rushing touchdowns and 30 receiving scores across 117 games, along with 480 career catches. For a Raiders team with a young backfield, that kind of passing-down reliability would matter if Jeanty can’t go or is limited early.
Jeanty remains the starter on the depth chart after a rookie season that produced 975 rushing yards, 1,321 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns behind a battered line. Kubiak still wants him to be the bell cow again, but Ian Rapoport’s “more low than high” description of the ankle injury at least gives Las Vegas a reason to keep its options open.
And with Miami only 12 days away, the timing is obvious. A low ankle issue can linger into September, and that’s exactly where Ekeler’s name starts to make sense.
He’s 31, he already lives in the city, and he isn’t presenting himself as a threat to Jeanty’s workload. He’s positioning himself as a veteran answer if the Raiders need help while their first-round back gets right.
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