No matter how poorly things are going for Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers, it’s near-impossible to imagine the organization trades away Justin Herbert.
It’s fair enough for outsiders to wonder, though. The Harbaugh era seems like it could be ending far sooner than anyone expected as the Chargers look like the worst and least-prepared team in the NFL.
A combination of horrendous roster building and an apparently ill-advised addition of Mike McDaniel has led Herbert and the Chargers to disaster.
Naturally, then, it sounds like all of the dire circumstances pushed ESPN’s Adam Schefter to ask the Chargers about a Herbert trade.
Chargers Trading Justin Herbert Investigated by Adam Schefter
As expected, the Chargers aren’t exactly entertaining even the question of trading a 28-year-old superstar quarterback.
On his podcast, Schefter revealed that he reached out to the Chargers about the idea.
Schefter said that "the person basically cut me off mid-sentence, stopped me in my tracks, and said, 'let me be very clear about this. We have never even discussed that idea. The sentence should we trade Justin Herbert has never once been uttered in our organization, nor will it be.'"
Not that the Chargers could trade Herbert. He’s under contract through 2029 and has a full no-trade clause, so he could veto any possible deal, if desired. And a post-June 1 trade would mean absorbing dead money north of $19 million in each of the next three years, among other problems.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 13, 2026
Trade valuation needs to be part of the topic, too. Herbert would demand multiple first-round picks. But his value isn’t as high as it used to be, if we’re being honest. He’s mostly looked horrible, with just 937 yards and five touchdowns with seven interceptions while leading the NFL in turnover-worthy throws.
There’s a lot that goes into Hebert’s poor performance and he’s more likely to return to top-10 play than anything else. But that wouldn’t stop other teams from trying to get leverage in a deal with these factors.
Regardless, the idea of the Chargers trading Justin Herbert is just that: an idea. The organization is far more likely to dole out consequences to Harbaugh and even general manager Joe Hortiz before it considers giving up a star passer, no matter how sexy the trade package from another team might be.
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