Chargers’ Trade Deadline Stance Suddenly Changes: Separating Fact From Fiction

A Los Angeles Chargers NFL trade deadline tracker feels like a desert void of any life-sustaining water at this point, based on how head coach Jim Harbaugh and anyone else has talked about the idea of making deals before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline.

Harbaugh himself, though, just changed the conversation with one quick little comment.

At 0-8, the Chargers figure to be sellers and eye the future. Widespread rumors put up against Harbaugh’s latest comment, though, keep the waters muddy at best.

NFL Rumors Say One Thing About Chargers at Trade Deadline

All the leaguewide buzz says the Chargers will stand still.

At first, it was easy to suggest that the Chargers didn't want to tip their hand publicly or lose leverage. But reports started coming out that the Chargers’ stance on trades during talks behind the scenes were confusing other teams.

The only report that really made sense about the Chargers was them shooting down trade offers for big names like Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey. If they’re going to sell, it won’t be on foundational building blocks.

Jim Harbaugh Changes Trade Deadline Conversation

Harbaugh changed things during his first presser before the trade deadline.

Speaking with reporters, he hinted that general manager Joe Hortiz will indeed work the phones and keep an eye out for deals.

Harbaugh said Hortiz is “pursuing and active" before adding this: “If something makes sense that will make our team better, now or in the future, Joe Hortiz is going to be open and active in pursuing that."

This is, literally, the first time Harbaugh has given even a hint of the Chargers being open to anything, so it makes things at least a little interesting.

Fact or Fiction on Chargers at trade deadline

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh — Jim Harbaugh | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Is the commentary from Harbaugh aimed at easing the concern of fans, just saying the usual coach-speak or something else?

Let’s call it fiction.

Trading away Khalil Mack makes all the sense in the world. He’s on an expiring contract, still productive and it would be nice to let him go compete for a title with a contender before he possibly retires.

But.

The vibe the whole time on this subject has been that Mack himself doesn’t want to leave. And if the conversation is doing right by Mack, if he wants to stay with the Chargers and the offers on the table aren’t very good anyway, it probably makes sense to have him remain in town.

Here’s the other problem: The Chargers roster stinks.

These Chargers are 0-8 for a reason. Hortiz failed at building it out properly, especially in the offensive trenches. The skill positions are a mess. They have gaslit themselves into rostering late-round picks and even practice squad candidates in key depth roles while trying to contend now and keep plenty of cap space and draft picks for the future. It’s backfired.

The offers coming in for these non-core players (Herbert, McConkey, Alt, Slater, Hampton) aren’t going to be great. And the offers for iffy players with trade value (Henley, James, Tuipulotu) are going to be under proper value too, because the Chargers have zero leverage and other teams view them as a chance to get a discount.

Like any pro organization, the Chargers will pick up the phone and listen. But it’s total fiction to think anything meaningful actually happens when the team probably doesn’t even know if the entire coaching staff will be around next offseason.

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