Henley Trade Was Reportedly Rescinded Due To His Knee Issues

The Denver Broncos didn’t exactly have a great trade deadline, and now the one move they did make has been rescinded due to the knee issues of linebacker Daiyan Henley, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN and multiple other reports. 

The Broncos acquired Henley from the Los Angeles Chargers for a pair of late-round draft picks as a depth piece on Tuesday at the deadline, but on Wednesday night they announced that the trade “will not be finalized.”

That terse update is now being added to, with sources and reports revealing that there is an issue with one of Henley’s knees, and some reports have him failing his physical, which was required to finalize the trade. 

Legwold added that the Broncos approached the Chargers after their evaluation to discuss a different version of the trade that included alternate draft picks, according to the writer’s sources. But the two teams couldn’t agree to new terms, so the trade was nixed. 

Neither team has commented officially about the status of the deal, but we’ll probably learn more later on Thursday and on Friday when injury reports get finalized. Henley remains in limbo for the moment after being acquired for a  a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. 

Legwold also added some info about the revised deal, with those  trade terms giving Los Angeles the option of either a fourth-rounder and a seventh-rounder for Henley, or a fourth-rounder and another pick flip, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Broncos still had interest in acquiring Henley before those terms were reportedly turned down, per Legwold. 

The Chargers posted a message on social media that read, “Welcome back, Daiyan,” which is beyond ironic given the team’s current 0-8 record. The trade would have been a worst-to-first flip in the AFC West for the linebacker had it gone through, but now he’ll be returning to one of the worst teams in the NFL. 

The deal wasn’t a big move, but it does leave the Broncos without the depth they were seeking at inside linebacker. Alex Singleton is having an outstanding season, but the Broncos are 23rd in the league against the run and Henley was expected to help solve that problem. 

The trade also echoes another rescinded trade involving the AFC West, as the Raiders had to take back defensive end Maxx Crosby after the Baltimore Ravens after his knee issues. This kind of medically-based move is becoming increasingly common, with the Broncos being the latest team to pull out of a supposedly done deal.