With the Los Angeles Chargers securing the first overall pick for the 2027 NFL Draft order for now, they are expected to be a team looking to "sell" or, in other terms, trade away valuable assets to teams who are looking to "buy" or to improve their roster for a playoff run.
Even with the team being the worst in the NFL, the Chargers still have plenty of players under contract who could be potential trade candidates. The biggest of those names is the veteran, future Hall of Fame EDGE rusher, Khalil Mack.
With Mack swirling in trade rumors, one name has been largely forgotten until a recent CBS Sports article by Carter Bahns named the Chargers veteran CB, Donte Jackson, as a possible candidate to be moved to a different team.
Is Donte Jackson on the Trade Block?
In Bahns' article, he discusses Jackson's possibility of being traded: "Teams with holes on the back end of the defense could call about Jackson and his expiring contract, too. He racked up nine interceptions across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, after all."
Jackson has been a long-time starting-caliber corner since he was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. After six seasons with the Panthers, Jackson spent a year in Pittsburgh, where he began to earn his ballhawking moniker, which he replicated in his first season in Los Angeles under defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Now in year two with the Chargers, Jackson has only played in four games, recording two pass deflections and eight tackles. While he has been on the field, he has been a solid contributor for Chris O'Leary's defense, but a hamstring injury has kept him off the field for nearly half the season.
If a team needs a veteran presence who is known for turnovers in their back seven, adding Jackson is a good idea. He would likely only cost a Day 3 selection, with a fifth-round pick being within reason for a player of his caliber.
The Chargers have not exactly found options behind Jackson as starting-caliber cornerbacks in the defense, as Deane Leonard and Rodney Shelley have been either hurt or lackluster, but at 0-6, having strong CBs is somewhat of a luxury, considering the season is just about over.
It should be noted that Bahns' article also mentions Khalil Mack, Quentin Johnston and David Njoku as other trade candidates for the Bolts to "sell."
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