Sometimes there is a trade rumor that is so nonsensical that it is not even worth writing about. The latest Justin Herbert trade rumor is exactly that. But since LA Chargers fans are talking about it so much, it is worth debunking.
Amidst all the rumors of the Minnesota Vikings trading up in the 2024 NFL Draft, it was "reported" by Antonio Brown's CTESPN that Minnesota was trading for Herbert. Normally bogus reports like this would die by the wayside on social media. But because it came from Brown, and there is a previous track record there, the internet has run with it.
Brown's CTESPN accurately "reported" that Russell Wilson signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers one day before it was announced by legitimate NFL insiders. Brown this also posted a photoshopped picture of Stefon Diggs in a Houston Texans uniform two weeks before he was traded to Houston. Considering the Diggs trade was a massive surprise, this prediction was even more impressive to the NFL world.
That is why there are actual fans who think that this Herbert trade rumor has actual legs. After getting one extremely surprising trade right, there are some who think Brown will be right again. Not Chargers fans, though, who are starting to revolt against Brown and those who are accepting this as fact.
Source: #CTESPN
— CTESPNNetwork (@CtespnN) April 20, 2024
Everyone saying the trade cannot happen because of a trade clause
Justin Herbert’s contract does specify a no trade clause
However, it states that if Herbert agrees to trade it waives the no trade clause
Herbert has interest in teaming with Jefferson pic.twitter.com/7nETpd4mQY
Are the Chargers trading Justin Herbert to the Vikings?
No. The Chargers have not traded Justin Herbert to the Vikings and there is a zero-percent chance that the team will trade Herbert to the Vikings. Brown may have been right about the surprise Diggs trade, but he is wrong here.
Beyond the obvious logic that the Chargers wouldn't want to trade a franchise quarterback, there is also a $110 million dead cap hit that the team would have to absorb this season. Sure, there are resturctures that could make that number smaller, but it is ludicrous to think that any team would take this dead cap hit on, even if they were trading a bad player.
This rumor only feeds into the ludicrous online discussion around Jim Harbaugh potentially wanting to coach J.J. McCarthy in Los Angeles. Harbaugh has been hyping McCarthy beyond belief, leading some to think that he might be angling to reunite with McCarthy.
That is not the case at all. Herbert was one of the biggest (if not the biggest) reasons why Harbaugh took the Chargers job in the first place. Plus, if Harbaugh's No. 1 goal was to coach McCarthy above all else then he simply would have taken the Atlanta Falcons job and drafted him.
Any Herbert trade rumors, conversations and speculation is all utter nonsense. This was something that we were hoping not to tackle here on Bolt Beat, but alas, the internet remains undefeated.