The 2026 season hasn’t been great for the Los Angeles Chargers, being the last winless team in the NFL after Week 8.
The worst-scoring offense and the 13th worst-scoring defense in the league, the Bolts may start to trade players in return for draft capital for a 2027 rebuild.
With the 2026 trade deadline around the corner, one analyst dropped a trade idea that would send a $13 million player to the AFC North.
Trade Pitch Sends Player Across the Country
Head coach Jim Harbaugh noted that he is focused on Week 9 against the Houston Texans, but with the deadline fast approaching, his attention will eventually shift.
ESPN analyst Ben Solak dropped a trade pitch that would send Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson to the Baltimore Ravens.
“Jackson is a veteran corner on an 0-7 Chargers team with plenty of youth at the position,” Solak wrote. “He’s in the last year of his contract, and he has taken only 113 snaps this season as he has been out because of a hamstring injury. I understand the Chargers reportedly don’t intend to trade many players, but c’mon! This one is obvious, right?”
“The Ravens have been messing with cornerback rotations all season, trying to find their three best starters… Jackson would give head coach Jesse Minter (former Chargers coordinator) a familiar starter who could stabilize that position as the Ravens hold on to a sliver of playoff hope with quarterback Lamar Jackson on injured reserve (thumb).”
As Solak noted, Jackson would reunite with former DC Jesse Minter. In his only season with Minter as his defensive playcaller, the cornerback logged 12 pass deflections (career high in a single season) and four interceptions.
Through his nine-year career, the LSU Tiger has logged 23 interceptions, 68 pass deflections and 373 total tackles.
If reunited with Minter, the defender could return to his 2025 level when healthy and play a key part on the Ravens’ defense as they look for a playoff shot.
In Solak’s trade pitch, the Bolts send Donte Jackson to the Ravens for a 2027 seventh-round draft pick. The cornerback is currently in the final year of his $13 million deal.
Other Chargers Players In Trade Rumors
Khalil Mack has been one of the best defensive players at his respective position since joining the league.
With the Bolts winless, talks have ramped up about Mack being dealt at the trade deadline.
“You’ve got to be where your feet are, man, ultimately,” Mack said after the Bolts’ seven-straight loss this season, via Eric Williams of Fox Sports. “That can be the most difficult thing when you’re dealing with a lot of outside noise and stuff. Just trying to be where your feet are at all times. That’s kind of been my thing in years past.”
If the team doesn’t find any footing, Mack could be traded at the deadline and could even end up with the team where he began his career, the Chicago Bears.
Chargers Trade Pitch Sends $13 Million Defender to AFC North