The Los Angeles Chargers still have the cap space to make a major trade this offseason.
Even with free agency largely concluded, they still have $49 million in financial flexibility to carry into next season. In all likelihood, most of this money has been set aside to cover extensions for Tuli Tuipulotu and Derwin James. Until those deals are wrapped up, however, the Chargers will continue to be connected in some shape or form to almost every star who becomes available across the NFL.
Most recently, these sights have been set of De'Von Achane of the Miami Dolphins. After releasing Tua Tagovailoa and dealing Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos, the Dolphins are poised to enter a full-blown rebuild. In this context, moving on from Achane as he enters a contract year would make perfect sense.
The Chargers, for example, were recently listed as a top suitor for Achane by Bleacher Report's Moe Moton.
But Miami GM Jon-Eric Sullivan has officially shut down any rumblings that Achane could be made available, per ESPN. His comments put a swift end to a trail of Chargers rumors that, frankly, didn't make much sense in the first place.
De'Von Achane was never truly an option for the Chargers
As intriguing as it is to think about these stars finding their way to Los Angeles, this front office has at no point shown a propensity to even entertain these types of moves.
Joe Hortiz has routinely shown his desire to remain conservative in his organizational decision-making. Not only is a blockbuster trade out of his character, a deal for Achane wouldn't have been congruent with the way the roster is currently constructed.
The Chargers spent a first-round pick on Omarion Hampton just last offseason. He showed flashes of lead-back potential despite his injury struggles during his rookie campaign. They also have a strong RB2 in Kimani Vidal, who showed he was capable of taking on heavy volume during Hampton's absence. Their signing of Keaton Mitchell in free agency gives them a tertiary weapon out of the backfield that will fit Mike McDaniel's outside-zone heavy scheme like a glove.
The thought of reuniting McDaniel with one of his premier offensive weapons from his time in Miami is certainly enticing. But trading their already limited draft capital for a player of Achane's caliber heading into a contract year is simply unrealistic. Achane's extension will likely come out somewhere in the $11-13 million range annually.
Between now and the end of the offseason, we'll have plenty of time to entertain these types of rumors. A.J. Brown, for example, is likely to become available later this offseason.
But a move for Achane never made sense, and we can now gracefully put any speculation involving him to bed.
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