Why the LA Chargers should not even consider trading for Zach Ertz

1. The LA Chargers still have leverage with Hunter Henry’s contract

As previously mentioned, paying tight ends a premium salary is a dodgy thing in the NFL and it does not always work as expected. It is worth it when you have a premier tight end like George Kittle or Travis Kelce — it is not as worth it if you have the eighth (or so) best tight end in the league, which Henry is.

But the LA Chargers have leverage in two different ways with Henry where they can either flex their power over the situation or can simply afford to overpay for the tight end.

First, let’s talk about potentially overpaying him. If Henry signs an extension in LA it will probably be somewhere around four years for $45 million. That is a lot for a tight end, however, the Chargers are in the rare position where they can afford to overpay for skill position players as they have a great young quarterback on a rookie deal.

The team also has plenty of money freeing up in the near future. Mike Williams is being paid $15 million in 2021 and that won’t be the case after and they have veterans in Linval Joseph and Bryan Bulaga that will free up money for Derwin James and others.

If that does not interest the Chargers then they can simply flex their control and franchise tag Henry for a second time. It will pay him just under $13 million this season, which is a lot but still leaves the team with room to spend elsewhere. All they have to do is cut Trai Turner and they have the money to bring in a premier signing, like Corey Linsley, as well as re-signing some key players such as Michael Davis and others.