The NFL has seen four quarterbacks fetch multiple first-round picks in a trade since 2000. Jay Cutler (2009), Matthew Stafford (2021), Deshaun Watson (2022) and Russell Wilson (2022) brought that level of return. Were the Chargers to dangle Justin Herbert, he would almost certainly command an offer in this range.
Rumblings about the Chargers selling at this year’s trade deadline have already emerged, with Khalil Mack mentioned as a trade candidate. Tuli Tuipulotu is likely to draw interest as well, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The young Chargers edge rusher is in a contract year, while Mack is on a second one-year, $18MM Bolts deal. With the team 0-5 and reeling from injuries yet again, pieces will probably move before this year’s trade deadline (November 10).
One piece that will not move: Herbert. The Chargers have never discussed trading their franchise quarterback, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on his podcast. The standout quarterback is in his seventh Chargers season and is mired in his worst stretch as a pro, but the form the Oregon product has shown in the past — coupled with his age (28) and contract status (signed through 2029) — would incite a bidding war. A Chargers source unequivocally shot down any trade derby forming now or in the future, per Schefter.
The Patriots and Vikings are believed to have asked about Herbert at the 2024 Combine, but the Bolts — who at that point were in the early weeks of the Jim Harbaugh-Joe Hortiz regime — quickly shot down those inqueries. Harbaugh has continued to effusively praise his quarterback, a two-time Pro Bowler who has taken the Chargers into three playoff brackets. But the Herbert-Mike McDaniel partnership is off to a horrid start. Herbert’s 26.6 QBR figure ranks last in the NFL through five games. His seven interceptions lead the league, sounding alarm for a team that has centered its operation around the former Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Those three playoff berths each ended with wild-card losses, the first of which — a 27-point collapse in Jacksonville — by far the most agonizing for the Bolts. An argument that the team should consider cashing out on Herbert to rebuild — perhaps with a package including three first-round picks being available, compensation only Watson has fetched among QBs since 1977 — is worth entertaining. But landing a QB with Herbert’s skillset is quite difficult to do, as many teams can attest; the Chargers would be wiser to reevaluate their approach around the passer rather than sign up for the kind of quarterback search the franchise has not needed to conduct in more than 20 years.
Although the Chargers have run into consistent roadblocks in the playoffs, they have not carried a true QB need since 2001. The team did acquire Philip Rivers in the 2004 draft as Drew Brees struggled during his first three seasons, but its Brees-Rivers-Herbert succession over the past 20-plus years rivals the Packers for QB stability. Clubs eyeing a Watson- or Cutler-like trade for a 20-something QB talent appear highly unlikely to gain any traction with the Chargers on Herbert.
Barring a major turnaround, this Chargers season will become Harbaugh’s first losing slate in the NFL. The accomplished HC’s McDaniel hire may well end up a one-and-done, and it is worth wondering if Harbaugh would explore options if this season ends badly. While a post-Harbaugh Bolts regime could conceivably entertain the prospect of unloading Herbert for a monster haul come 2027, nothing of the sort is being considered by the current power structure.
Tuipulotu extension rumors emerged this offseason, but not much came out before the former second-round pick’s contract year began. The 24-year-old edge rusher profiles as a franchise tag candidate in 2027, should the Bolts fail to come to terms with him before the March tag deadline. Moving Tuipulotu would be a way for the Chargers to collect quality draft capital, but an acquiring team would need to sign off on a big-ticket extension. That would affect the trade value in this case.
The Chargers will likely pair a Tuipulotu second contract with Akheem Mesidor’s rookie deal, though it is worth noting the Tom Telesco regime drafted Tuipulotu. But the ascending EDGE should be expected to finish the season with the Chargers, who have exclusive negotiating rights with him until the 2027 legal tampering period. A price range north of $30MM per year emerged this offseason. Based on his 13-sack 2025 season, Tuipulotu should be considered unlikely to reach the 2027 tampering period without a new contract or a franchise tag.
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