The Chargers are staring at a 0-6 start and a trade deadline that could tempt teams to strip the roster down. That would be the easy route. It would also be the wrong one.
Los Angeles has already become a target for contenders looking to raid the roster, with names like Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Dalvin Tomlinson and Donte Jackson surfacing in trade chatter ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline at 4 p.m. ET.
Even Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey have been dragged into the speculation. There’s a case for moving a few of the older pieces and loading up on picks.
But selling off the heart of a young core after one ugly season would be a bad call for general manager Joe Hortiz.
The bigger picture matters here. The Chargers had back-to-back 11-6 seasons and back-to-back AFC wild-card losses, and Jim Harbaugh’s run has been a success up to this point. This collapse is being shaped by injuries, especially up front on the offensive line, and by an offense that has gone nowhere since the arrival of former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator.
McDaniel set out to alter Herbert’s footwork and his anticipation, and the result has been a regression from the former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Herbert is on pace for career-low numbers in his seventh season.
Whatever the intention, it has not clicked in Los Angeles. McDaniel looks like a poor fit, and the Chargers have taken a major step backward in 2026.
Harbaugh is staying the course for now, and that choice could cost both men their jobs.
Still, there is a strange upside to the mess. Harbaugh’s loyalty to McDaniel may keep dragging the season down, but that could also put Los Angeles in position to chase the No. 1 pick in the 2027 draft. The Chargers already hold it, and while running the table in reverse is unlikely, they could stay in range to use it the way they did in the 2001 draft.
That would put Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith squarely in play, and he fits a glaring need. Herbert has had only four receivers top 1,000 yards during his time in Los Angeles: Mike Williams and Keenan Allen in 2021, Allen again in 2023 and McConkey in 2024. The team has been searching for a true No. 1 target since Allen’s departure after that 2023 season.
A wide receiver has not gone No. 1 overall since Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. That gives the Chargers options. They could trade down, as they did in 2001, or do something that hasn’t been done in 31 years.
If Smith ends up looking more like Garrett Wilson than Marvin Harrison Jr., and if Herbert can get those McDaniel mechanics fixed, then one lost season may not have to become a lost future. The Chargers would still have their core, and that could matter more than any short-term sell-off at the deadline.
In Other News...
Ladd McConkey Has Become A Real Chargers Concern
Ladd McConkey entered this season with the kind of role the Chargers had been building toward, the receiver they hoped would settle in as Justin Herberts most reliable target. Instead, his 2025 and 2026 seasons have been marked by uneven production and a stop-and-start stretch that has kept him from fully taking hold of the passing game the way the team envisioned.
For a Chargers offense trying to sharpen its identity, McConkeys availability has become part of the equation as much as his play. He has already navigated a rib injury, a foot issue, and a concussion in 2026, leaving Los Angeles with a familiar question: whether the receiver who flashed top-target potential can finally string together the health and consistency needed to become the centerpiece the Chargers were counting on. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Face A Khalil Mack Decision That Could Define This Season
The Chargers slow start has pushed a familiar kind of front-office conversation to the forefront, and Khalil Mack sits right at the center of it. With the trade deadline nearing and the season already drifting in the wrong direction, Los Angeles has begun weighing whether to move one of its most proven defensive stars for future draft capital as part of a bigger reset.
Mack still has enough value to matter to a contender, which is why the phone has reportedly been ringing. A reunion with the Bears has been floated, New England has also been mentioned, and the Chargers now have to decide whether keeping an impact pass rusher in the building is worth more than what he could bring back if they choose to sell. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Collapse Has Turned A Justin Herbert Trade Into A Real Debate
The Chargers slide has pushed their trade-deadline plans into territory few would have imagined a month ago, with even Justin Herberts future now surfacing in the conversation. Los Angeles has already been linked to a range of possibilities, from moving veterans such as Khalil Mack to considering younger pieces like Quentin Johnston or Tuli Tuipulotu, but the notion of dealing the franchise quarterback says more about how far the season has unraveled than any actual momentum toward a blockbuster move.
Herbert is the kind of player teams usually build around, not shop, and any potential deal would come with enormous financial and contractual hurdles. Still, the league chatter has been loud enough to make the idea part of the deadline debate, with the Jets mentioned as the most obvious team to watch because of the draft capital they can offer. Even then, Los Angeles would be staring at an extreme set of circumstances before entertaining anything close to a move involving its quarterback, and Herberts ability to control the situation only adds another layer to an already complicated picture. [Read more 🡒]