The NFL is filled with flashy personalities who like to wear jewelry on and off the field. Justin Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr., and CeeDee Lamb all come to mind. But not every player lives an extravagant lifestyle or turns heads wherever they go. One of those players is Austin Ekeler, who was once caught incidentally showing off his modest style of living.
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Ekeler has earned just over $35 million in total during his NFL career. Despite this, he seemingly doesn’t care to live in a grandiose house or drive around in a slick car. In fact, the Commanders‘ back currently lives in a one-bedroom apartment and drives a $30,000 Chrysler.
The information was never officially revealed, but was deduced by NFL fans and internet sleuths. In a video from last winter, around early January, Ekeler was seen filming his car covered in snow. He joked that this was something he never had to worry about in Los Angeles when he played for the Chargers.
Ekeler’s car was in a lot next to many others, blending right in. In the background, you can see what looks like an outdoor area of an apartment complex.
TRENDING: #Commanders RB Austin Ekeler lives in a one-bedroom apartment in Washington and drives a simple $30,000 Chrysler.
Ekeler has earned 35 million dollars in his #NFL career and still lives a simple life.
pic.twitter.com/682yO5XjEH— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) August 23, 2025
Now that this old snow-video has resurfaced, fans have taken notice of Ekeler’s financial status and current living situation, and they surprisingly commended him for his lifestyle. Some pointed out that it’s the smart thing to do.
“Good for him. He’s gonna be one of the few who doesn’t run out of money,” one wrote.
“Smart man. Make it last. An NFL career is so short compared to the rest of your life,” another commented.
However, others argued that Ekeler is actually wasting money by paying rent instead of buying a house.
“Wasting money paying rent every month,” they professed. “Paying rent instead of owning a modest home that creates equity?” someone else questioned.
We simply disagree with the idea that Ekeler is wasting money. You want to talk about wasting money? In the current US market, buying a house is an expensive venture that doesn’t seem worth it.
Furthermore, Ekeler does own a home. Just not in Virginia, where he resides during the NFL season. In the offseason, he and his wife have their home base set up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He did something similar when he played for the Chargers, living in an LA apartment during the season and then returning to the Vegas base in the offseason.
At the end of the day, it was just a harmless post pointing out how modest a lifestyle Ekeler lives. We don’t need to turn it into questions of how he spends his money.
$35 million sounds like a lot to us normal citizens, but in the NFL world, that’s not a lot in career earnings. That’s why it’s smart for Ekeler to live modestly now and avoid bankruptcy in the future. After all, it’s something that many former players have dealt with.
