Sean Payton’s History Makes Failed Chargers Trade Suspicious

The Chargers and Broncos had an agreement in place for linebacker Daiyan Henley. See how Denver used a loophole to try to change the terms at the last second.

Nov 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Peyton on the sidelines against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The world of NFL front offices is built on relationships, connections and ultimately trust. George Paton may be the general manager for the Denver Broncos but head coach Sean Payton has a less than stellar history when it comes to trust, trickery and gamesmanship in the NFL.

The Los Angeles Chargers had a trade agreement in place for their homegrown starting linebacker, Daiyan Henley, to send him to the Denver Broncos. The trade that was finalized at the 11th hour before the trade deadline came to pass was for a 2027 fourth-round pick and 2028 fifth-rounder pick.

Late Wednesday night, the Broncos decided to pull the plug on the trade after trying to renegotiate the trade compensation after getting Henley in the building in Colorado. The Broncos cited a failed physical designation for Henley and specifically cited arthritis in his knee which immediately raised eyebrows and suspicions. The Chargers are now left to deal with the fallout.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk raised concerns with the Broncos' evaluation and mentioned arthritis being a common issue for NFL linebackers.

"The Broncos discovered an issue with Henley’s knee. It has, we’re told, arthritis. (As one source with neither the Chargers nor the Broncos told PFT, most if not all starting linebackers in the NFL have some degree of arthritis in their knees.)"- Mike Florio

The entire situation smells fishy. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is asking the NFL to look into how the loophole, which allows trades to be adjusted by compensation past the deadline. Harbaugh pointed out the obvious issue with how this trade fell apart, the Broncos did not fail Daiyan Henley for his physical, they were only going to pass him if the trade compensation was reduced.

HC Jim Harbaugh says Denver failed Henley's physical to back out.

"The Broncos based a pass/fail on a medical grade on whether we would take less compensation."

Harbaugh says the Broncos would pass Henley's physical if the picks were downgraded from the agreed upon 4th + 5th. pic.twitter.com/xwoVCILJyl

— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) November 12, 2026

The Chargers are 0-8 and had not made any other moves at the deadline. Henley was one of the few trade assets the Chargers had that could net any relatively significant draft capital. If this sounds shady and suspicious, there is good reason.

Sean Payton has a long history of holding grudges and operating on the margins of good and bad faith. Payton was famously suspended for a full season for his role in the New Orleans Saints Bountygate scandal.

Payton has a longstanding beef with the Minnesota Vikings going back to Bountygate and the 2009 NFC Championship and later to the Minnesota Miracle game in 2018 playoffs. He later took credit for and bragged to reporters about playing a game of smoke and mirrors to trick the Vikings in the 2024 NFL draft.

How does this relate to the Chargers?

Oct 11, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton shakes hands with Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh after the game at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sean Payton and Jim Harbaugh may not have a full-on beef with each other but they do have history. Back in 2011, there was a preseason controversy between Payton and Harbaugh over an unspoken gentleman's angreement, that Payton took as a slight, on how to handle their preseason matchup.

Payton took a year off from coaching and was working in media during the 2022 season. During the season, Payton was agressively pushing for the Chargers head coaching job, the job that went to Harbaugh the following year.

Did Sean Payton and the Broncos operate in bad faith in regards to Daiyan Henley and the trade? Did they try to use a loophole to leverage the Chargers and steal a player for less draft capital? The entire situation seems suspicious, and Sean Payton's track record does little to calm those suspicions.