Given Omarion Hampton's injury and Kimani Vidal's up-and-down performance, it was safe to assume the LA Chargers would trade for a running back at the 2025 NFL deadline. The team skirted those expectations, though, with the only deadline addition being offensive lineman Trevor Penning.
A big swing like Breece Hall was never going to happen given the Chargers' financial situation. However, the Chargers could have made a smaller move to boost the running back room, especially when there was fairly obvious candidates for the team to pursue.
One name that kept surfacing in trade speculation was Cleveland Browns running back Jerome Ford. Ford has fallen down the depth chart thanks to the arrival of Quinshon Judkins but could still provide value to a running back-hungry team. With the Browns among the league's bottom-feeders, it seemed inevitable that Ford would be traded.
Not only did the Chargers not trade for Ford, but the Browns opted to keep the veteran altogether. Now, just days after the deadline, Ford is making his true feelings be known in a not-so-subtle way.
Just one day after the NFL trade deadline passed, #Browns RB Jerome Ford reposted two TikTok videos about being unhappy at work: pic.twitter.com/zzGQelHyHn
— Brad Stainbrook (@StainbrookNFL) November 6, 2025
Even Jerome Ford is upset the Chargers didn't trade for him
To be fair, Ford probably just wishes that any team with a chance of making the playoffs traded for him at the deadline. It didn't have to be the Chargers specifically, but the Chargers made the most sense on paper.
Los Angeles just needed an experienced running back who could split carries with Vidal in the short term while giving the team more depth once Hampton returns. Hall was always going to be an overpay for that need, especially with what the Jets were asking for.
Ford would have come at a much cheaper cost and would have given the Chargers everything they needed. The veteran back is a weapon in the run and passing game and despite his reduced workload this season, is coming off a year in which he averaged over five yards a carry.
But alas, the Chargers didn't seem to believe a running back trade was worth the draft capital, even if it came at a doable price. Meanwhile, the Browns likely got no trade interest in Ford from other teams, as there really was no reason not to trade him.
It was a perfect marriage waiting to happen and the Chargers walked out of the alter. The Chargers are betting big on Vidal to carry the load while Ford is stuck on a Browns team he seemingly doesn't want to be a part of.