LA Chargers: 5 trade options better than the rumored Vikings’ trade

LA Chargers trade option number one: Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs

Let’s start with a blockbuster, shall we? Some people might think this is a little too out there, and maybe it is but the Chiefs clearly cannot afford to pay Chris Jones what he thinks he is worth.

Those negotiations for a long term deal have gone nowhere all offseason. He is a clear difference-maker for that team, but when you have the best quarterback in the league who is headed for the biggest, most monstrous and deserved payday in the history of the league, you have to make sacrifices in other areas.

When healthy, Jones has been one of the best defensive tackles in the league. He’s accumulated 31 sacks, 62 quarterback hits and 32 tackles for loss over the last three seasons. The Chargers desperately need someone of that caliber to create pressure up the middle. They are hoping Jerry Tillery can become that kind of player, but that remains to be seen. Either way, Jones would be a massive upgrade.

Contract wise, they could make it work. The Chargers have a lot of cap flexibility in the coming years thanks to the rookie contract of their quarterback. Trading for and extending Jones would likely mean that 2020 would be the last season for Melvin Ingram as a Charger.

That’s a tough pill to swallow, but the Chargers do have Uchenna Nwosu waiting in the wings, and Kenneth Murray is a capable pass rusher so I think the Chargers would be able to survive without Ingram after this season.

The ultimate benefactor for bringing in Jones, though, would be Joey Bosa. He has been one of the most frequently double-teamed edge rushers in the league over the last couple of seasons. With Jones being able to wreak havoc from the interior, opposing teams would never be able to send double teams to Bosa.

From the Chargers’ point of view, this would be a no brainer in my opinion. You get an elite player at his position that could create a numerous amount of mismatches for their pass rush.

For the Chiefs, they’d get King who has shown he can be elite but needs to prove he wasn’t a one-hit-wonder. I think, if you’re the Chiefs you’d take a flyer on King if you could also get a high-end draft pick from the Chargers.

If the Chargers could come to an agreement beforehand that they could get an extension with Jones done, I would be ok with sending King and a first-round pick to the Chiefs for Jones. Maybe the Chiefs would want more than that, but they have proven that they can’t pay Jones what he wants so why not improve the secondary (which is a clear need for them) and get a draft pick or two.

Then again, inter-division trades rarely happen but it’s always fun to speculate.