The Los Angeles Chargers have been an absolute mess to begin the 2026 campaign. After entering the year with postseason aspirations, the Chargers have responded by losing each of their first six games, and considering how poorly the team has been playing, it’s tough to see how things will get better anytime soon.
With the trade deadline approaching, Los Angeles is expected to be a seller, and in a surprise twist, one guy whose name is popping up in trade rumors is Justin Herbert. For years, Herbert has been considered the team’s long-term quarterback, but his struggles this season have changed everything, with one insider providing an intriguing update on his trade status.
Could the Chargers Actually Trade Justin Herbert?
It’s been tough to watch Herbert this season and believe that he is a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback. In a six-game stretch, Herbert has gone from being one of the better passers in the league to being nearly unplayable. There’s no doubt the talent is still there, but for whatever reason, he has not been a fit for new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s scheme.
The numbers through six games for Herbert are almost incomprehensible. He’s completing a career-low 59.4% of his passes while also leading the league with eight interceptions. He has just 1,141 passing yards and five touchdowns to his name, and while he admittedly hasn’t gotten much help from the rest of the offense, Herbert is supposed to be a fully developed product at this point.
It remains to be seen how many spare parts the Chargers are intending to sell off at the trade deadline, but Herbert has suddenly entered trade discussions now that his future with the team is up in the air. Even with his aforementioned struggles, there would surely be quite a few suitors for his services, with NFL insider Jason La Canfora of casino.org reporting that chatter surrounding the former first-round pick is heating up.
Some around the league are wondering if quarterback Justin Herbert will be there in 2027,” La Canfora wrote. “It would be a total franchise-changer, but a 0-6 start when you had Super Bowl aspirations, and Herbert was supposed to finally fulfill his MVP promise, will get owners to contort themselves and consider things that otherwise wouldn’t be on the table … A Herbert trade would still constitute a major surprise – but not a total shock – at this point.”
Should the Chargers Trade Justin Herbert?
If you posed the question of whether or not Herbert should be traded to any football fan before the start of the season, they would have looked at you like you had three heads. That’s how dire the situation with Herbert has become in just a span of a few weeks, and while a trade isn’t necessarily likely, the fact that it’s even a discussion is very telling.
Los Angeles has been committed to Herbert on the surface for years, and it’d be a surprise if a six-game cold streak changes its tune on him. However, teams are going to poke around Herbert, and if things keep going south, he could very well be on the move sooner rather than later. The Chargers have a bye week in Week 7 before returning to action for a crosstown matchup with the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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