The Los Angeles Chargers, under the shrewd eye of Joe Hortiz, put on a bit of a masterclass in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Although they began the Draft with just five selections and a number of needs across their roster, they finished the three-day process having completed a series of trades and making eight selections in total— adding four offensive linemen, a speedy wide receiver, a league-ready pass rusher, and a pair of additional defensive contributors. In all, these trades netted Los Angeles exactly what it needed: depth across their roster.
The most high-profile of these trades, a swap with the New England Patriots in which the Chargers sent off the 55th overall pick in exchange for the 63rd, 131st and 202nd, ultimately landed them center/guard Jake Slaughter, who appeared to be the player tabbed by Hortiz all along to compete for the starting left guard spot in training camp. If Slaughter is able to play viable snaps at guard at any point this season, that trade will already be a major victory.
But the deal is made even sweeter by the fact that the Patriots' decision to trade up has left them with a major mess on their hands. Edge rusher Gabe Jacas has yet to sign his rookie contract or appeared in practice with New England, and his situation represents one of the most confounding in the entire rookie class.
Patriots' trade for Gabe Jacas has left them with a perplexing rookie contract situation
Once Olaivavega Ioane went off the board, it was pretty clear the Chargers weren't going to take a swing on a guard in Round 1. What was surpising, though, was that they opted to trade back into the late second instead of taking a swing on one of the second-tier guards that were available at the start of Day 2.
If things had broken another way, and Ioane had been available for the Chargers at 22nd overall, it's quite possible that Jacas would've been high on Los Angeles' board in the second round. But with Mesidor already in the fold, they felt more than comfortable moving that pick to New England. Let's be thankful they did.
Per Chad Graff at The Athletic, Jacas had a "procedure" this offseason, and it's unclear whether that was with or without the approval of New England. That has likely played into the saga of Jacas' unsigned rookie deal.
But as Graff notes, rookies who are holding out or negotiating for more guarantees often sign temporary contracts so that they can participate in OTAs and minicamp. The Patriots and Jacas, though, have not come to terms on any such deal. Jacas has yet to appear in any part of New England's offseason program, presumably leaving him very far behind in his acclimation to the Patriots' defensive scheme.
To make matters worse for New England, they desperately need Jacas to produce this season. After the departure of K'Lavon Chaisson and Anfernee Jennings, the Patriots are left with a primary duo of Dre'Mont Jones and Harold Landry III at outside linebacker. Both are productive veterans, but neither are alpha pass rushers. They need Jacas to step up almost immediately as a viable and disruptive rotation piece.
But with little clarity on how Jacas' situation is developing, New England may be left with a serious mess on their hands.
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