Chargers Nightmare Trade Floated Before NFL Trade Deadline

The Los Angeles Chargers have had the worst possible start to their 2026 season. The team is 0-6 and staring down a long season with no reasonable shot at the playoffs.

With that, speculation of cutting bait on the year is buzzing. The potential moves under consideration include trading away big time stars.

One such move involves trading away do-it-all safety Derwin James. Robert Marvi of Athlon Sports discussed the possibility of a trade of star Chargers safety. Here's some of what he had to say about a potential trade.

"But an L.A. defensive star who is still in or near his prime could also get traded, according to NFL insider Jason La Canfora. He wrote that safety Derwin James Jr. will be in demand and implied that Los Angeles will get calls about the 30-year-old.

'There is going to be a lot of chatter about hybrid safety Derwin James ahead of this deadline, too, and people I talk to believe the demand for a positionless defender with that unique skill set will be high enough that he could get moved,' La Canfora wrote.

James has made the Pro Bowl five times since coming to the NFL in 2018 as the No. 17 pick in the draft out of Florida State University, including in both of the last two seasons. So far this year, he has registered 21 total tackles (12 solo) and one pass defended.

The Chargers may need to decide whether they want to retain most of their core players for next year or make major changes and possibly sell off a few of their studs in order to stockpile draft picks. Mack is someone who could possibly net a Day Two draft pick if the franchise finally has a bit of good luck, and one has to think that James would bring in a nice return if L.A. decides to move on from him."

On the surface, it's the type of move that would likely create seller's remorse. In reality, it may not be the worst move that Los Angeles could make.

Paying a safety a high volume of the team's salary cap is not helping the Chargers all that much. They're 0-6. Then again, with so much cap space one has to wonder why Los Angeles did not make more impactful moves in the offseason.

Trading away James would potentially free up room for the Chargers to go all in next offseason. And if they can draft a player like Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, 2027 could be a major turnaround season.

We'll monitor whether or not another team with a need for an impact safety makes the move to trade for James, and if the Chargers feel it's a move worth making.