Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh didn’t hide his frustration Thursday after the team’s attempted trade of linebacker Daiyan Henley to the Broncos collapsed late Wednesday night over a physical.
Los Angeles had agreed to send Henley to Denver just before Tuesday’s trade deadline in exchange for a fourth- and fifth-round pick, but the deal unraveled after the medical review. Harbaugh said he believed the Broncos used a loophole in the process to push for less compensation than what had already been agreed to.
“The Broncos based a pass-fail on a medical grade, based on whether we would take less compensation, and we wouldn’t, and we didn’t,” Harbaugh said, via The Athletic. “In my opinion, it’s one of those loopholes that the league should really look into because it sets a bad precedent, continues to set a bad precedent.”
He went further, making clear he thought the situation crossed a line.
“Really, it shouldn’t be (a loophole), but apparently it is. That’s why it’s a loophole and teams should not have the ability to do that.
I mean, it’s a medical grade. It’s a pass-fail for a medical grade.
They told us they weren’t going to pass him if it was a fourth and a fifth, which was agreed upon, and they would not pass him for that. They would pass him for a fourth and a … fill in the blank.
I don’t know what to call that.”
Henley had been on the Chargers’ Week 9 injury report with a shoulder issue before still playing 61 of 70 defensive snaps. He also was limited in practice before Week 6 because of a knee issue, and that was the injury the Broncos reportedly focused on.
The Athletic noted that Denver was within its rights to fail Henley on the basis of its own medical evaluation. But the bigger issue was leverage, or the lack of it. Since Henley had already headed to Denver, the Chargers were left with a take-it-or-leave-it decision after the deadline had passed: bring him back or accept less than the original agreement, depending on what the Broncos’ doctors decided.
Henley, 26, was a third-round pick by the Chargers in the 2023 draft out of Washington State. He signed a four-year, $5,420,426 rookie deal through 2026 with a $942,128 signing bonus and is making a base salary of $3,674,000 in 2026.
This season, Henley has played in eight games for Los Angeles and has 51 total tackles, two tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, one interception, two passes defended, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
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