The LA Chargers and New England Patriots made a very shocking trade this week as the Bolts traded cornerback JC Jackson to New England for a late-round pick swap. Jackson's tenure with the Bolts was unsalvageable and he is now a massive villain for Chargers fans to root against.
Jackson was unable to provide a spark for the Patriots in Week 5 as New England was throttled 34-0 by the New Orleans Saints. After a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4, it is worth questioning if New England is a legitimate candidate to have the first overall pick.
If so, we could see the Patriots start a fire sale to recoup draft capital for the future. That could open the door for the Chargers to make another trade with the Pats, specifically for a familiar face that would provide a jolt in LA.
Bring him home… pic.twitter.com/GeZN0POYZq
— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) October 8, 2023
Chargers should call the Patriots about a potential Hunter Henry trade
The Chargers sent a familiar face back to the Patriots earlier this week and now New England could do the same thing. With a 1-4 record and a tough schedule on the horizon, there isn't a compelling reason to keep Henry around in the last year of his contract.
If the Pats were going to have a fire sale then Henry would be one of the first players to go. New England is not going to re-sign him to another long-term deal after the season but he is a big enough name to convince other teams to trade for him.
New England would have to convert some of his salary into a signing bonus for this to be possible but that is exactly what the Chargers just did with Jackson. The roles would be reversed and New England could get its future sixth-round pick back for Henry.
The Chargers certainly need the tight end help. Gerald Everett is fine as the TE1 but Donald Parham has suffered a wrist injury and the depth behind him is not great. Like last season, the tight end room is really struggling in the blocking game, which is something that Henry would instantly boost.
Henry would not produce the same offensive numbers back with the Chargers that he did in 2020, but he could be a very valuable veteran piece that deepens the tight end room by leaps and bounds.