The Los Angeles Chargers, despite much buzz surrounding their obvious need for a running back and a starting-caliber offensive lineman, ultimately settled for Trevor Penning at the trade deadline: a lineman who will now enter the competition for the starting tackle position in the absence of Joe Alt.
Yet, many fans pushed for the team to make a move for a running back such as Breece Hall of the New York Jets, and, although Hall ultimately stayed put, it has now been revealed that the Kansas City Chiefs were dangerously close to pulling the deal off themselves.
According to Connor Hughes, on SNY's live stream detailing the drama that the Jets underwent on deadline day, the Chiefs offered a fourth-round pick in exchange for Hall: a price that fell just short of New York's asking price of a third-round selection.
Were the Chiefs to have made this move, they would quite possibly regain their status as one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, leaving Chargers' fans in even more pain than they are in currently.
Breece Hall to the Chiefs would have been absolutely disastrous for the Chargers
The Jets, unsurprisingly, were open to dealing many of their most tradeable assets as the deadline rolled around as a result of their severely lackluster performance so far this season. Both Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams were dealt today, with New York bringing back significant draft capital in exchange for both players.
Yet, when it came to Hall, who has actively indicated his desire to find a change of scenery, suitors were evidently more sparse. Although New York made their price known relatively early in the day, no one, including the Chiefs, was ultimately willing to match it.
In many ways, this is somewhat surprising. Hall, who is now almost halfway through his fourth season in the NFL, has been a dynamic back for some time both as a rusher and a pass catcher, and he has the potential to make any offense better simply through his presence.
Los Angeles, who has now lost both Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton to injury (with Harris set to miss the whole season), would perhaps have been the perfect landing spot for Hall.
Yet, when no news of a Chargers offer came through, it became clear that the team would rather stand pat, given the current health of their offensive line, than spend draft capital to bring in a player who will still be limited by this weakness and who will demand a hefty extension when the time comes.
Therefore, they are very fortunate that a player of Hall's caliber did not wind up going to a division rival. As it stands, Los Angeles is in second place in the AFC West, but, with Kansas City looking to be on an upward trajectory offensively, this could be in jeopardy very soon. Hall going to the Chiefs could have been the final nail in the coffin for any team that thought they had a chance of usurping Patrick Mahomes this season.
Thankfully, it didn't happen.