The LA Chargers have been relatively quiet compared to other teams with cap space and a real chance of contending for a Super Bowl in 2025. Los Angeles has made a flurry of moves but they have all been of the small variety with no real swings this offseason.
That being said, the table is set for the Chargers to swing a blockbuster trade if they deem it worthwhile. The Chargers still have the cap space to pull off a big deal, both in 2025 and in future years.
As exciting as big trades can be, they can be more detrimental than beneficial depending on the player that gets traded. Pro Football Focus thinks the Chargers should take a swing on someone who would end up being detrimental: Tyreek Hill.
Mason Cameron of PFF linked four star veterans to four different teams and pitched the idea of the Chargers trading for Hill. There has been speculation in the past about Hill joining the Chargers, so the idea is not coming out of thin air.
"Despite finishing with the lowest PFF receiving grade (77.3) of his career in 2024, Hill is still one of the NFL’s most dynamic weapons. Across the last three seasons, Hill has ranked in the 92nd percentile in receiving grade and the 99th percentile in yards per route run," Cameron wrote. "Paired with Ladd McConkey, this Chargers receiving corps could become a terrifying group with Herbert slinging the rock."
Chargers trading for Tyreek Hill would be disastrous
While Cameron does a good job of selling Hill's numbers over the last three years, they are being carried by his production from the two previous seasons, not 2024. That isn't to say that Hill was bad in 2024, but he certainly was not the same field-tilting presence he was in the past.
The yards-per-route run statistic looks great when you look at it in a three-year window. However, under a one-year microscope, it looks much worse. Hill ranked 35th in yards per route run among the 110 receivers who ran at least 201 routes last season. For comparison, Quentin Johnson ranked 30th.
That's not to say Johnston is a better wideout than Hill, because he certainly isn't, but it does highlight how Hill is past his prime. Trading for Hill would be a prime example of the Chargers paying a premium for past performance. That is not how this front office traditionally operates.
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The draft cost for Hill likely would not be high considering his contract situation. However, it is that very same contract situation that should keep the Chargers away. Hill has two more years under contract (with several void years). His 2025 cap hit is $27.69 million while his 2026 cap hit is $51.89 million.
It seems highly unlikely the Chargers would pay that kind of money for a receiver on the wrong side of 30 who is already showing regression. The team may have space but paying a 32-year-old Tyreek Hill $51.89 million in 2026 is not how you build a cohesive, competitive roster.
There is still someone on the market by the name of Keenan Allen who is available for much cheaper and can give the Chargers the kind of impact they need out of a complementary receiver. Allen's yards per route run ranks closely to Hill's teammate, Jaylen Waddle.
Spending $8-10 million a year on Allen is a lot easier to stomach than spending a combined $79 million for Hill over two seasons.