Nothing has gone right for the Los Angeles Chargers this season, and it has gotten to the point where the team can’t even properly execute a trade. Ahead of the trade deadline, the Chargers, who should have conducted a full-scale fire sale, made just one move that saw them send linebacker Daiyan Henley to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
Early Thursday morning, though, both teams announced that the trade for Henley had been called off, with reports suggesting he failed the Broncos’ physical. However, when discussing the failed trade, head coach Jim Harbaugh took aim at Denver’s front office for attempting to exploit a loophole in its physical process, which led to the trade falling apart.
Jim Harbaugh Bashes Broncos for Handling of Failed Daiyan Henley Trade
Considering how Los Angeles is 0-8 through its first eight games, it was widely expected it would look to sell off some spare parts at the trade deadline. Instead, the front office made the bewildering move of largely refusing to sell its players, and while it reportedly softened its stance on its trade talks just hours before the deadline, the Henley deal was the only move the team made.
A third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Henley has become a key piece of the Chargers’ defense, and that has stayed true this season, even with his team struggling mightily. Henley is leading Los Angeles with 51 tackles while also picking up 0.5 sacks, one interception, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble.
This deal seemingly made sense for both sides, as the Chargers got some much-needed draft capital, while the Broncos shored up their linebacker depth. Instead, Harbaugh is claiming that Denver went back on its word and attempted to negotiate a lower price for Henley after it failed him during his physical. Unsurprisingly, he was not very happy with the handling of this situation.
Jim Harbaugh says the Broncos wanted the Chargers to accept lesser compensation for Daiyan Henley given their pass/fail medical grading system in Denver,” Lindsey Thiry of ESPN shared in a post on X. “Harbaugh is expressing frustration that they would take Henley for lesser compensation, but wouldn’t take him on agreed-to compensation, when the medical report wouldn’t change.”
Chargers Get the Short End of the Stick in Failed Broncos Trade
It’d be pretty easy to get upset at the Chargers for making yet another mistake in what has been a season full of them, but based on Harbaugh’s comments, it seems like there wasn’t really much they could have done here. The Broncos tried to pull a fast one and save some draft capital after Henley failed his physical, but L.A. didn’t bite, so the deal was quickly called off.
Los Angeles will likely be glad to add Henley back to its defense, but it has now exited the trade deadline in the exact same spot it was at beforehand, which is not a good thing considering how poorly this team has played this year. The Chargers will try to get their first win of the year when they square off against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football in Week 10.
Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh Calls Out Broncos Over Failed Daiyan Henley Trade