The Los Angeles Chargers are off to a horrific start to the 2026 season, dropping consecutive games to the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders.
The Cardinals and Raiders, to be kind, weren’t expected to cause a lot of ruckus this season, while the Chargers were expected to blow the top off the AFC as one of its real Super Bowl contenders. So far, they have not.
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While there’s still time for Los Angeles to turn it around, a downer of a season might put the Chargers in a different mindset for what the future holds with one player in particular.
Quarterback Justin Herbert has struggled in new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s system. As of now, he’s sitting at a ghastly 29.3 quarterback rating, good for 31st in the NFL and only above Atlanta Falcons third-string quarterback Cooper Rush (5.2). He’s only thrown for 401 yards and two touchdowns so far this season along with three interceptions. While, again, it’s still early, the partnership between Herbert and McDaniel is not working.
Herbert has been widely regarded as one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL since joining Los Angeles in 2020, but he’s yet to win a playoff game in three attempts. At least with early returns, he may not get a chance to rectify that this upcoming January. If the Chargers bottom out this fall, could the team… trade Herbert and start anew?
You cannot rule it out. If Herbert continues to play poorly, a fresh start might be the best thing for both parties. As it stands, Herbert would be the biggest quarterback trade target since Deshaun Watson (and without the off-field baggage to boot). Only 28, he would command multiple first-round picks in any hypothetical trade. With a possibly loaded 2027 quarterback class on the horizon, could the Chargers get envious of what’s to come and open to trading its present away for a potentially better future?
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While the Chargers would be on the hook for quite a bit of dead cap in any possible deal, it’s not as prohibitive as you think. The team could feasibly trade Herbert away for, say, three first-round picks or two first-round picks and an elite player and secure their possible future quarterback in next spring’s NFL Draft. Again, it’s incredibly early, and any possible trade would most likely wait until after the 2026 season (unless things get really wacky in L.A.).
However, Herbert’s days as a Charger could be numbered if the team can’t get things turned around, and Los Angeles winds up with a high 2027 NFL Draft pick. It’s tomorrow storyline that may be catching some steam today.
Who would be interested in Herbert?
Here’s a list of teams with quarterback questions who could be intrigued: the Arizona Cardinals, the Atlanta Falcons, the Cleveland Browns, the Miami Dolphins, the Minnesota Vikings, the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Would the Chargers trade Justin Herbert if struggles continue?
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
