The Buccaneers and Chargers were supposed to spend this season chasing playoff spots. Instead, they’ve spent it asking the same ugly question: what now?
Tampa Bay and Los Angeles have combined for a 1-11 record, with the Buccaneers’ Week 5 win over the Dallas Cowboys standing as the only bright spot between the two clubs. If neither side makes a meaningful change, both are headed for a missed postseason.
Quarterback play sits at the center of the mess. Baker Mayfield entered the year on the back of a new contract extension, but he had struggled before a thumb injury knocked him out in Tampa Bay’s Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The Buccaneers were hoping new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson would unlock the offense, but the unit has largely looked stuck in the mud. Rookie backup Jalon Daniels has had his ups and downs since stepping in.
The Chargers’ situation has gone sideways too, and Justin Herbert’s play has been a major reason why. Los Angeles hired new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel before the season with the expectation that Herbert would take another step forward.
A lot of people expected the best year of his career. Instead, the Chargers are 0-6 and Herbert hasn’t come close to delivering that kind of jump.
That’s where the hypothetical gets loud: could these two teams solve their quarterback problems by swapping them?
A Mayfield-for-Herbert framework is the kind of deal that would shake up the league, but it would take serious money and serious draft capital to get there. Mayfield is fresh off a three-year, $165 million extension with Tampa Bay. His first four seasons with the Buccaneers have delivered three NFC South titles and the playoff trips that came with them, even if the postseason runs haven’t gone far.
Herbert’s contract is structured differently. He is playing under an extension of his rookie deal and is under contract for the next four seasons, with a potential out after 2029.
In practical terms, that means three more years with an option for a fourth. His cap hit is a little over $46 million right now, but it climbs to over $58 million next fall and then more than $71 million in 2028, his age-30 season.
So yes, the contracts can be lined up. The tougher part is whether Tampa Bay would value Herbert enough to take on that rising price tag and the cost to acquire him.
Jason Licht is known for guarding his draft picks, especially the premium ones, which makes the starting point steep. In this scenario, the Buccaneers would likely have to part with at least two first-round selections to get a deal done.
One possible package would send Mayfield, Tampa Bay’s 2028 and 2029 first-round picks, and its second-round picks in 2027 and 2028 to Los Angeles in exchange for Herbert and a 2027 second- or third-round pick. That might be enough, depending on how Joe Hortiz views the Chargers’ outlook. If he decides Los Angeles is further from contention with Herbert than without him, a move would not be shocking.
Whether that happens in the next few weeks is another matter. But if Herbert ends up on the trade market before the season is over, Tampa Bay could be positioned as a logical landing spot in a deal that tries to help both sides.
In Other News...
Justin Herbert Is Suddenly At Center Of A Chargers Debate
Justin Herbert has become a talking point well beyond Los Angeles, and not because the Chargers have offered any clarity about their plans. The uncertainty around his future has opened the door to outside speculation, with Minnesota already reshaping its quarterback room this offseason after acquiring Kyler Murray and moving on from Sam Darnold. For a Chargers team trying to define its own direction, that kind of noise is hard to ignore.
Herberts production over his first six seasons is exactly why the conversation has taken off. He has been one of the leagues most accomplished passers in that span, which is why any hint of availability would ripple quickly around the NFL. The problem for everyone trying to connect the dots is simple enough: the Chargers have not said what comes next, and until they do, the league will keep guessing. [Read more 🡒]
Jim Harbaugh Just Got Public Backing As Chargers Pressure Mounts
The Chargers winless start has put Jim Harbaugh squarely in the spotlight, but one of his longtime supporters is still sounding calm about the bigger picture. Los Angeles is 0-6 and one of just two NFL teams without a victory, yet Biff Poggi offered public backing for Harbaugh while acknowledging the rough hand the coach has been dealt, from injuries to a schedule that has not offered much breathing room.
The real test comes after the Week 7 bye, when the Chargers are staring at a brutal stretch that could deepen the hole before it has a chance to heal. With the Rams, Texans and Ravens waiting next, the season already feels like it is arriving at a pressure point, and the confidence around Harbaugh will be measured against what happens when the games resume. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Trade Deadline Could Force Joe Hortiz To Admit The Obvious
The Chargers hit their Week 7 bye with a familiar kind of unease, still searching for their first win and staring down a Nov. 10 trade deadline that could force the front office into an uncomfortable reset. Joe Hortiz has plenty to weigh, and the discussion around this roster has already shifted from whether the team can salvage the season to whether it should start thinking about the next one.
Among the names being floated are veterans and ascending pieces who would draw interest if Los Angeles decided to sell, with the conversation centered on how far the team is willing to go in retooling around the future. The biggest question now is whether the Chargers choose to treat the deadline as a chance to keep pushing for stability or finally acknowledge that some of their most useful players may be more valuable in a different timeline. [Read more 🡒]