Nine seasons in the NFL, one torn Achilles, and a newborn later, Austin Ekeler is rebuilding his career in real time — not on the field, but inside Claude Code.

Tyler sits down with the former Chargers and Commanders running back to talk free agency at 31, the surprisingly firm rules around players and fantasy football, and Austin's bigger bet: turning fantasy sports into a legitimate profession with its own "pro card." It's part locker-room confession, part startup pitch, and a rare look at what an NFL career looks like the moment the cameras stop rolling.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 — Intro: Meet Austin Ekeler

00:29 — Life After the Cameras Leave: What actually happens post-injury

01:34 — Time to Move On

02:47 — The Adrian Peterson Effect: Why "back in nine months" became the norm

04:51 — The Bell Curve of a Career

05:35 — Social Currency: Why Austin's staying in the game even off the field

07:01 — Learning Claude Code

08:04 — The Shovel Analogy

09:41 — From Website to App: Fixing the login complaints that started it all

11:26 — Where Fantasy Meets the Law: The $250 rule for active NFL players

13:31 — Drafting Himself... and Losing: The celebrity league story

17:29 — The Missing Pro Card: Why fantasy sports has no industry-wide "legit" status

19:13 — What a Pro Card Actually Buys You: Benefits, credibility, and bragging rights

21:41 — Inside the $100K Leagues: Gamblers, owners, and friend groups with deep pockets

23:20 — Why casual players might lead the whole industry

25:07 — How to join Fantasy Royale before the season starts

26:29 — The Austin origin story Tyler never told