The Los Angeles Chargers have been, hands down, the most frustrating organization in the NFL this season.
It's one thing to be bad—it happens to teams with high expectations all the time. But here we are, nine weeks into the season, and the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans both have a win. The New York Jets have two. The Chargers have zero, and it's hard to see where they're going to pick up the first one barring a miraculous defensive performance against the Baltimore Ravens next week.
And to make matters worse, there's been no sign of ramifications or adjustments yet from the coaching staff or the front office. Joe Hortiz, up until the past 24 hours, has maintained that the Chargers won't be "giving up" on this season—signaling an unwillingness to move off of expiring contracts for draft capital. It seemed, in the early stages, like this could simply be a smoke screen. But as the deadline approached, Los Angeles' hardline stance started to feel realer.
We still don't know what's going to happen. But in the past 24 hours, the door has certainly cracked open for the Chargers to make a deal. First, Jim Harbaugh intimated that the Chargers would be willing to listen to offers during his press availability yesterday.
Today, it was reported by Jordan Schultz via X that the Chargers are now "more receptive to trading players" than they were when they were farther away from the deadline. It's not a guarantee that anything will get done, but it's an encouraging sign for a team that desperately needs to maximize its assets.
The Chargers need to get moving if they're going to capitalize on this trade deadline opportunity
Here's the thing. The Chargers' front office is notoriously opaque when it comes to these things, and we won't know the full extent of their success or failure until the deadline has passed.
Los Angeles also doesn't need to undertake a 'fire sale' per se. There's no reason to even entertain the idea of trading Tuli Tuipulotu unless there's no contract extension looming, and moving off of a piece like Derwin James Jr. doesn't seem like a real option for the Chargers.
But there's no reason not to at least kick some tires on expiring assets like Donte Jackson, Dalvin Tomlinson, Denzel Perryman, David Njoku, and Troy Dye. And the contract situation in the backfield means that one of Kimani Vidal or Keaton Mitchell could likely be moved without making an impact on what next year's roster would likely be anyways.
These aren't premier assets—but teams are looking for more than just blockbuster trades at the deadline. The Detroit Lions, for example, added safety Andre Cisco for a 2028 sixth-round selection. The Jacksonville Jaguars added Davon Godchaux for a conditional 2028 sixth-rounder as well in addition to nabbing another interior defender in Jordan Davis for a haul of draft capital.
As potential contenders miss out on the major trades that are going to take place today, they'll turn to other sellers, and other options, in order to fill depth needs across their rosters. That's where Hortiz and the Chargers can come in. Moving on from a piece like Tomlinson or Jackson may not make this team better, but what is there, ultimately, to lose?
We'll see if this ultimately proves to be just a lukewarm statement to appease fans—but, for now, it seems as though the Chargers may actually be active at the deadline after all.
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