National Football League

Chargers reportedly denied Justin Herbert trade requests from Patriots, Vikings

Updated May. 2, 2024 12:30 p.m. ET

The Los Angeles Chargers received — and rejected — trade requests from the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings about star quarterback Justin Herbert in the weeks leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, ESPN reported Thursday.

"No. No, at the combine, I had some people ask me, ‘would we consider it,’ and they were quickly shot down. No, that is never an option," Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said Thursday night about a potential Herbert trade.

Los Angeles ultimately selected Notre Dame offensive tackle and All-American Joe Alt at No. 5 in the draft on Thursday. They also own the No. 37 and 69 picks on Day 2.

New England (No. 3) and Minnesota (traded up from No. 11 to No. 10) each drafted a quarterback on Day 1, with the Patriots selecting North Carolina's Drake Maye and the Vikings selecting Michigan's J.J. McCarthy.

Why would teams think the Chargers could've been open to trading Herbert? Primarily because of the presence of new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh spent the previous nine seasons as the head coach at Michigan, where McCarthy was his starting quarterback and led the Wolverines to a national championship last season. Perhaps Harbaugh would be interested in drafting McCarthy and saving money by trading Herbert?

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Herbert begins a five-year, $262.5 million extension in the 2025 NFL season. His 2023 campaign was cut short after 13 games due to a finger injury, with the Chargers going on to finish 5-12.

Herbert is a one-time Pro Bowler who was the 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He threw for 5,014 yards in 2021 and has averaged 4,305.8 passing yards, 28.5 passing touchdowns, 10.5 interceptions and a 95.7 passer rating per season over his four-year NFL career, while completing 66.6% of his passes.

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