Justin Herbert wasn't always destined to be Jim Harbaugh's wunderkind. The former first-round pick turned All-Pro talent was the subject of trade rumors after the 2023-24 regular season involving teams that were in desperate need for a signal-caller at the time.
Rather than trade Herbert, who signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension that same year, the Chargers opted to build around him. While they've acquired some pieces, the underwhelming end product when it matters most tends to be Herbert doing it all on his own. But would a trade have saved Herbert from his current reality?
Which teams were interested in Justin Herbert?
Per Schefter, the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots were interested in landing Herbert. While both of those teams have their strengths, the Patriots ultimately backed out and eventually selected Drake Maye in the NFL Draft. The Vikings employed the same strategy, adding JJ McCarthy after losing Kirk Cousins in free agency.
Maye had to play his first season under Bill Belichick, a system he could've crumbed under. The same could be said for Herbert, as the end of the Belichick era was ugly, to say the least.
However, had Herbert gone to Minnesota in a blockbuster trade, it would've been an ideal move for both sides. The Vikings have since fixed their defensive woes thanks to Brian Flores. Kevin O'Connell is a quarterback whisperer and one of the best player-callers in the NFL. A pairing between KOC and Herbert would've been a terrifying aspect for the rest of the NFL.
"I wish I could tell you how much joy we get from seeing the stuff that gets written. ... Those aren't things that come out of this building," Adofo-Mensah said at the time about the Herbert rumors. "I don't know what to tell you. I don't know where this stuff comes from. Sometimes it works out in our favor. I can't even respond."
Hence, he never really denied it. Neither did Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz.
"Justin who?" Hortiz said with a smile. "No. No, at the combine I had some people ask me would we consider it, and they were quickly shot down. No, that is never an option."
What a Justin Herbert trade to the Vikings would've looked like
And there you have it. I'm being generous to both teams here. Herbert wasn't coming off his best season in 2024, but most NFL talent evaluators understood that had more to do with the players and coaches around him than the quarterback himself.
Trading Herbert would've been painful in more ways than one for the Chargers. First, they would've had to eat a large portion of his salary, or convince the Vikings to take most of his remaining money and thus impact the return package. Second, Harbaugh loves Herbert. It's a big reason why he agreed to coach the team and leave Michigan.
I'm also aware that the Vikings traded up to No. 10 to select McCarthy, thus it wasn't their original pick (rather the Jets), but in this exercise I'm assuming LA would've been interested in JJ due to his history with Harbaugh.
Should the Vikings still consider trading for Herbert?
I mean, look, if it's at all possible, then yes. The Chargers know exactly how valuable Herbert is not just to their scheme, but how well he'd play for just about any team in the NFL. Los Angeles isn't even thinking of parting ways with a quarterback who will lead them to the playoffs this season.
It'd take a certain set of circumstances for LA to trade Herbert, the first of which would be another disappointing finish to the season. From there, Herbert would either have to ask for a trade or voice his displease in a way similar to Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. Third and most importantly, there has to be a desperate team willing to meet the Chargers' asking price for their best player. Are the Vikings that team?
On the surface, yes. McCarthy hasn't made the necessary strides and the team is built to win-now. It's a longshot, but certainly worth a phone call should the Chargers trend downward in the coming weeks.