Justin Herbert needs to get out of Los Angeles. No, that shouldn't be read as the Chargers need to get rid of him. Herbert needs a different team to succeed because he and this organization just haven't been a good match from the beginning.
Since Herbert was drafted in 2020, the Chargers have gone 52-45 with him under center in the regular season with three playoff appearances (all losses). He's thrown for over 25,000 passing yards, 165 touchdowns and 61 interceptions in the regular season but in the postseason that nearly 3:1 ratio is reversed with only two scores and twice as many picks.
The Justin Herbert critics are mounting on the offensive
Does Herbert not have a clutch gene or has he been limited by the coaching and subpar surrounding cast? It feels like a bit of both, but the former is heavily influenced by the latter. After an 0-2 start to the 2026 season, pundits have mixed thoughts on who to blame.
"It's a comedy of errors by everyone but Justin Herbert right now," ESPN analyst and former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky said Monday.
"I don't understand why everybody is so terrified to just point the finger at Herbert," The Ringer's Bill Simmons complained.
"Justin Herbert is supposed to be your guy, ... he has not done that to this point."@SaturdayJeff weighs in on the Chargers' struggles 🏈 pic.twitter.com/zjNoi3BZO3
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 22, 2026
"Justin Herbert is supposed to be your guy," ESPN's Jeff Saturday said on First Take Tuesday. "He has not done that to this point."
What could the Chargers get in a blockbuster Justin Herbert trade?
So, with year seven of the Herbert era off to a bad start, can Los Angeles maximize his value to make a possibly franchise-altering trade? The potential options aren't all that terrible but involve serious risk nonetheless.
Firstly, Herbert comes with massive salary cap hits over the next three years due to his $262.5 million extension signed in 2023. Neither Los Angeles nor any trade partner will want to keep much if any of that. The split, if any, would significantly impact a compensation package. That limits the number of potential landing spots for Herbert.
That being said, there are two teams that come to mind that could offer not only premium draft capital but also a starting-caliber player or two that would make a swap mutually beneficial. The Minnesota Vikings are in a trial year with quarterback Kyler Murray (who already has health issues) and 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy is clearly on his way out after being bumped to QB3. Why not flip the Michigan product to be paired with his former college head coach in Jim Harbaugh?
Minnesota owns all of it's picks for rounds one through three for the next two drafts (including an additional third-rounder from the Philadelphia Eagles). Package any number of those seven picks, plus McCarthy and Los Angeles would have a pretty good deal on its hands. The Vikings reset at quarterback with a high-upside veteran (imagine Herbert with Justin Jefferson) and the Chargers can potentially unlock McCarthy's potential with key draft insurance in their back pocket.
The second team would be the Houston Texans. The team and QB C.J. Stroud mutually agreed to table contract extension talks until after the 2026 season. Stroud would hit the free agent market as one of the top targets and Houston would be left having to turn to the draft (where it may not be in position to select high enough for a franchise passer). Maximizing Stroud's value should contract talks deteriorate further is the team's only good option.
Houston, like Minnesota, owns all of its early draft picks for the next two seasons and can offer an even higher-upside passer in Stroud. That could lower the price of multiple first-round picks somewhat, but the Texans would have to deal with the optics of sending away another starting QB for the second time in five years.
A trade involving Herbert is extremely unlikely, but it would be managerial malpractice to not at least calculate the cost-benefit value. There's still a lot of football left to be played, but Los Angeles is staring down the necessity to pull off the rare feat of qualifying for the playoffs and winning a game or two after starting the year 0-2. Nevertheless, let the speculation begin.
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