Would Chargers trade QB Justin Herbert if season keeps going sideways?

Entering Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season, the 0-2 Los Angeles Chargers are a shipwreck. 

L.A. lost to the 1-1 Arizona Cardinals (26-14) and the 2-0 Las Vegas Raiders (26-14) in home games in Weeks 1 and 2. Things could only get worse for the Bolts. According to Tankathon, the Chargers have the fourth-most-difficult remaining schedule in the NFL. In Week 3, they face the 2-0 Buffalo Bills, led by QB Josh Allen, on the road (Fox, 1 p.m. ET).

The Chargers may continue cratering amid the challenging stretch. With that in mind, would the franchise consider trading star seventh-year quarterback Justin Herbert? 

The Ringer's Tom Pelissero speaks on possibility Chargers trade Justin Herbert 

Pelissero joined "The Rich Eisen Show" on Wednesday to discuss the Chargers. He said he doesn't expect L.A. to move Herbert before the trade deadline on Nov. 10 (4 p.m. ET), but it will field offers during that time frame if the season keeps going sideways.

"If they're 1-5 or 0-6, I don't think that they trade Justin Herbert, but you can bet they're going to get calls ...," Pelissero said. "Why not? Bad teams, if you're having a bad season, people are going to sit there and, frankly, try to take advantage of you and go after your good players." 

Now, many would scoff at this idea. Trading a player like Herbert, a star at the most important position, seems ludicrous. At some point, though, the Chargers must determine whether they're getting what they paid for. 

Herbert is in the third year of a five-year, $262.5M contract, which includes an out ($9M in dead cap) in 2029. Since signing that extension before the 2023 season, the QB has made one Pro Bowl and has failed to win his first postseason game, going 0-2 in two playoff games under third-year HC Jim Harbaugh. 

Even more concerning for the Chargers is that Herbert's no longer producing the prolific passing yardage numbers that made him one of the league's bigger stars. From 2020-22, Herbert averaged 287.5 passing yards per game (No. 3 in the NFL). That figure dipped to 233.3 passing yards per game (No. 13 in the NFL) from 2023-25. Through two games in 2026, he has averaged a career-low 200.5 passing YPG. 

As many Herbert defenders have said on social media, "It's not all his fault." He has played for three different HCs with the Chargers (Anthony Lynn, Brandon Staley and Harbaugh) and for five offensive coordinators (Shane Steichen, Joe Lombardi, Kellen Moore, Greg Roman and Mike McDaniel). 

Clearly, he and new OC McDaniel aren't on the same page. Herbert believes they will get on it, and that the rest of the team will snap out of its funk. You sure about that?

Monitor how the rest of the season unfolds. If the Chargers rebound and make the playoffs, that would end the idea that L.A. should enter rebuilding mode and consider moving Herbert for a haul. But if it doesn't, it must reassess its future with the QB.