The Los Angeles Chargers are not letting the outside noise into the building. Not yet.
Questions around Justin Herbert were already bubbling up after a 0-2 stumble out of the gate, with NFL insider Tom Pelissero warning that another loss would invite at least a few phone calls from rival front offices inquiring about Herbert, no matter if they want to hear them.
They dropped another one.
Sunday’s 24-16 road loss to the Buffalo Bills dropped the Chargers to a depressing 0-3 start, and the heat on them is only going to turn hotter from here. Still, the Chargers made a clear statement about any trade inquiries regarding Herbert.
Chargers Not Trading Justin Herbert, For Now
“The Chargers have no plans anytime soon to trade quarterback Justin Herbert, who has a no-trade clause that could scuttle any deal anyway,” Pelliserro wrote.
“But if L.A. continues to spiral after its 0-2 start—and the upcoming schedule suggests it could, with the next four games at Buffalo, at Seattle, home against the Broncos, and at Kansas City—it’d raise all kinds of questions about where the Chargers go from here.”
Not that L.A. was ever going to pick up the phone and actually deal their franchise quarterback, but Herbert hasn’t looked like the superstar they brought in so far. Now, the entire Chargers offense is looking disheveled this season, but Herbert is looking more out of his game than usual. He isn’t the only issue, but how he keeps getting flustered under pressure is.
“The defense tried its best to give Herbert and the offense a chance to win,” ESPN explains. “Herbert — who could have easily had three interceptions — ended up throwing just one, and yet, the interception to C.J. Gardner-Johnson was a dagger. Herbert’s play wasn’t the only issue, as there were dropped passes and questionable play calls.”
“But ultimately, he hasn’t looked like the superstar he was during the first six years of his career.”
Jim Harbaugh’s Same Postgame Comments Are Getting Repetitive
When asked about it in his post-game conference, head coach Jim Harbaugh said a flat-out no to making any significant changes on the offense moving forward.
“No,” Harbaugh said in his post-game media appearance. “Believe in our guys, believe in our coaches, believe across the board.” Once again, Harbaugh had the same “more work, more effort—more everything” answer to the questions.
“We have not been good enough yet. Yeah, I’m not singling out anybody. We win these games as a team. We lose as a team. That’s both the good and the bad. Only one way to correct that, and that’s just to keep chipping away.”
Still, Herbert needs better stats and the baseline, more wins, to shut down the noise. The “We gotta do better” speech is starting to wear out.
The Chargers have reached the playoffs three times with Herbert, and they have all been Wild Card round losses. He’s had injury issues in recent seasons. He has a ton of money left on his five-year, $262.5 million contract. And the 2027 QB draft class is very strong for Harbaugh to sit around and wait for more losses.
Chargers Drop Clear Statement on Justin Herbert Trade Rumors After Loss vs. Bills