The Los Angeles Chargers are in a rough spot, and the early-season collapse has already sparked a question that would have sounded ridiculous a short time ago: what happens if Justin Herbert keeps struggling?
Los Angeles has opened the 2026 season with back-to-back losses to the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, two teams that weren’t expected to be major threats. The Chargers, meanwhile, were supposed to be one of the AFC’s heavyweight teams. Instead, they’ve stumbled badly out of the gate.
That downturn has put Herbert under the microscope. In his first season working with new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, the quarterback hasn’t found his footing.
Herbert’s quarterback rating sits at 29.3, which ranks 31st in the NFL and is only ahead of Atlanta Falcons third-string quarterback Cooper Rush’s 5.2. He’s thrown for 401 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
The sample is still small, but the fit between Herbert and McDaniel clearly isn’t clicking.
Herbert has carried a reputation as one of the league’s better quarterbacks since arriving in Los Angeles in 2020, but the playoff results haven’t followed. He’s still looking for his first postseason win after three tries, and if this season continues to go sideways, he may not get another shot to change that in January.
At that point, the conversation could turn to something far more dramatic: a trade.
It’s not hard to see why that idea would surface if the Chargers keep falling. Herbert is only 28, which means any team thinking about making a move would be paying for both his present and his future.
In a hypothetical deal, he’d be the biggest quarterback trade chip since Deshaun Watson, minus the off-field baggage. A return of multiple first-round picks would be the baseline, and if the Chargers chose to move him, they could potentially land three first-rounders or two first-round picks plus an elite player.
The dead cap hit would be significant, but not necessarily enough to slam the door shut on the idea. And with a potentially loaded 2027 quarterback class looming, the Chargers could start looking at the bigger picture if this season keeps slipping away. They might even be tempted to chase what’s next rather than stay tied to what’s happening now.
That said, any move like this would almost certainly come after the 2026 season unless things get truly strange in Los Angeles. For now, Herbert’s future with the Chargers isn’t in immediate danger. But if the losses pile up and the team ends up with a high 2027 draft pick, this is the kind of storyline that can go from far-fetched to very real in a hurry.
If Herbert does become available, there would be no shortage of interested teams. The Cardinals, Falcons, Browns, Dolphins, Vikings, Jets and Steelers are all mentioned as clubs with quarterback questions that could take a serious look.
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