The trade talk around Justin Herbert has a hard answer now: he is not going anywhere. Despite speculation around the Chargers after their 0-6 start, the quarterback will not be traded, even with the deadline a week from Tuesday.
That is the kind of rumor that moves fast because it touches the rarest asset in the NFL. Herbert has gone eight consecutive games with at least as many interceptions as touchdowns in each, but the view from inside the league is still that the Chargers are not about to sell him. Joe Banner put it bluntly, saying there is zero possibility of trading that quarterback and that he cannot imagine the idea is even in Jim Harbaugh's head.
The timing matters because the Chargers have lost week after week and are 0-6 for the first time since 2000. The search term is out there because a collapse that severe invites questions about everything, especially when the team has built itself around Herbert and Harbaugh once predicted he would one day be regarded as the best quarterback in NFL history.
But the roster math still points in the opposite direction. Banner said Harbaugh is more interested in having enough money or draft picks to strengthen the lines than in contemplating a quarterback move, and even three first-round picks would only be fantasy football in this case, translating to about 1½ quality starters. That is not enough to make a franchise quarterback disposable, especially when quarterback may be the hardest piece to find in sports.
The friction is obvious anyway. Herbert is taking a beating, just as he did last season, and he looks far less confident than he has in years past. The change to Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator has been disastrous, and the offense has done little to change the feeling that Herbert is carrying too much of the damage himself.
For now, though, the conclusion is the one the market wanted answered: Herbert stays, the Chargers keep trying to stabilize the season, and the next real checkpoint is the deadline a week from Tuesday.
