The Los Angeles Chargers will already have their fair share of offensive weapons to contend with in 2026. In the first six weeks of the season alone, they'll face off against Jerimiyah Love, Josh Allen, James Cook, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jaylen Waddle, and Kenneth Walker III.
Their season will primarily be defined by the success of their offense under new coordinator Mike McDaniel. But it's clear that Chris O'Leary and the Chargers defense will have their work cut out for them as well.
Now, with the recent rumors surrounding a trade of A.J. Brown to the Los Angeles Rams, it's clear they won't avoid him on their slate either. Brown's two primary suitors, as it stands, are the Rams and the New England Patriots.
Both are on the Chargers' 2026 schedule, and that leaves them with no real path to avoiding a vengeful Brown this season.
A.J. Brown will be on a revenge tour this year if he gets traded, and the Chargers are likely to be in harm's way
To this point in the offseason, the favorite to land Brown's services has consistently been New England. No trade is likely to take place until June, but it's clear the foundations have been layed for that move.
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, however, reported on Tuesday on The Rich Eisen Show that the Rams were closer than many knew to striking their own deal for Brown, undercutting the Patriots and addressing any concerns they've had this offseason with Puka Nacua.
"That was really close. It was closer than it got with the Patriots. That was really close. There was one point where overnight it sort of died. It was like, 'Late one night, this could be going down by the next morning. You know what, there's too many moving parts here.'" Mike Garafolo, NFL Network
Brown's impact in 2025 was limited in large part by the struggles of the Philadelphia Eagles offense. Across 15 games, he amassed 78 receptions for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. Against Los Angeles in Week 14, he posted six receptions for 100 yards, but he caught just 46.2% of his targets in that game.
Rightly or wrongly, he routinely expressed frustrations with how his talents were being leveraged in Philadelphia's offensive structure. A trade is likely this offseason.
Perhaps the Eagles figure things out with a new offensive coordinator in 2026. But if you match Brown with a quarterback with the downfield talents of Drake Maye or the receiver-leveraging skill-set of Matthew Stafford, things can quickly get scary for their opponents.
The Chargers will face off against the Los Angeles Rams on the road in Week 8. They'll face off against the New England Patriots at home in Week 12.
As of now, no other credible suitors have emerged for Brown's services, according to reports on the matter. The Chargers, therefore, currently have no route to avoiding Brown's wrath in 2026 outside of him unexpectedly staying in Philadelphia.
Add us as a preferred source on Google