The 2026 season hasn’t gone the way the Los Angeles Chargers hoped.
With two new offensive coordinators, many believed the Bolts could reach new heights this season. But the opposite happened.
LA remains one of the last two winless teams after Week 6 and has an uphill battle to earn their first win of the season. The Chargers have a bye week to regroup and will look to put the season back on track before it reaches tanking levels.
If things don’t go as planned after the bye, the team could go on a sale and trade multiple key players.
One NFL analyst dropped a trade pitch that would send a starter to the NFC if things do go south.
Bolts Trade Idea Sends Defender to NFC
Under new defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary, the Los Angeles Chargers defense is allowing 25.2 points per game, the 11th-most in the league.
If the Bolts defense continues to perform at this level, the team could trade key pieces to help accumulate pieces for a rebuild.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell dropped a trade pitch that would send defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson to the New York Giants in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick.
“Another veteran reserve for the Chargers who could be on the move between now and the deadline, Tomlinson would be coming full circle after starting his career in New York,” Barnwell wrote. “The well-traveled defensive tackle isn’t the interior disrupter we saw earlier in his career, but Tomlinson is also only two years removed from an 18-knockdown season with the [Cleveland] Browns in 2024.”
“New York has gotten by through adding veterans… and Tomlinson would be another defensive tackle in that vein… even a modest contribution from Tomlinson while playing about 35-40% of the defensive snaps would go a long way.”
Tomlinson, who has started four games this season, signed for the Chargers in free agency on a one-year, $6.8 million deal to help the defensive front.
This season, the D-lineman has logged half a sack and eight total tackles for the winless Chargers. In his career, the defender has accrued 376 total tackles, 20.5 sacks and eight pass deflections.
If the Chargers are unable to change the course of the season by the trade deadline, many older veterans could want to see out the door in hopes of getting on a playoff contender.
Barnwell’s trade pitch also includes the Bolts sending a 2028 seventh-round draft pick, along with Dalvin Tomlinson.
The defensive lineman has earned around $71 million in his career.
Jim Harbaugh In the Hot Seat?
Jim Harbaugh is in unprecedented territory this season.
For the first time in his coaching career, collegiate or professional, the head coach’s team does not have a win in the first six weeks.
Many believed the addition of Mike McDaniel’s as OC would elevate the Bolts’ offense to new heights in 2026. But those expectations have not been lived up to.
If the season continues to dwindle, the Chargers may be looking for a new head coach in 2027.
“What do the Chargers do with Harbaugh if the season continues to sink? It’s not the Chargers’ style to pay a coach millions to not coach,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote. “But as a few industry sources pointed out, a bottom-of-the-league finish would force the Chargers to do some soul-searching…”
Chargers Trade Pitch Sends $71 Million Starter to the NFC East