Jim Harbaugh calls out Broncos after failed Daiyan Henley trade

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jim Harbaugh calls out Broncos, wants NFL to investigate 'loophole' after failed Daiyan Henley trade

By Olamilekan Ajayi | Last updated Nov 12, 2026 5:28 PM ET

The Denver Broncos announced Tuesday that they had acquired linebacker Daiyan Henley from the Los Angeles Chargers. The deal would have sent a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to Los Angeles, pending a physical.

Henley took that exam at the Broncos' facility Wednesday, and by that night, Denver said the trade "will not be finalized." He is now back with a Chargers team that is 0-8 and the only winless club in the league.

Jim Harbaugh addressed it Thursday, with Denver on its bye week and Broncos coach Sean Payton not scheduled to speak to reporters, and the Chargers coach wants the NFL to take a hard look at how the deal came apart.

"They told us they weren't going to pass him if it was a fourth and a fifth, which was agreed upon," Harbaugh told reporters.

Jim Harbaugh told reporters the #Broncos wanted Daiyan Henley for less draft compensation than they initially traded, which is why they failed Henley on the physical.

The Chargers coach's full comments: pic.twitter.com/VNZ28eql69
— Sam Jane (@sam_jane230) November 12, 2026

Harbaugh called it a "loophole" and said it "sets a bad precedent." The terms Denver put forward after the exam line up with his account.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Broncos still wanted Henley and offered the Chargers two alternatives: a fourth-round pick and a seventh-rounder, or a fourth-rounder plus a pick swap. Los Angeles turned down both, and the unprocessed trade will be recorded as a failed physical.

Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh wants the NFL to review what he calls a loophole in the system.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 12, 2026

What NFL rule let the Broncos reopen the price?

A league spokesperson told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that teams in this position may rework the draft-pick side of a deadline deal after the deadline has passed, and nothing more.

"We would permit them to change the pick compensation. They would not be able to add a player or trade a different player," the spokesperson said.

Once the deadline passed, the Chargers had no way to shop Henley to another team. Their choices Wednesday came down to accepting a smaller return from Denver or keeping a player they had already decided to move, and Denver held every bit of the leverage. A physical exists to protect the acquiring club from a player it cannot use. Denver's revised offers show the Broncos still wanted Henley on the field after seeing the results, so the exam ended up setting a new price.

The Broncos are entitled to weigh what their doctors found, and Henley did appear on the Chargers' injury report with a knee issue in Week 6. He has also not missed a game this season and leads the Chargers with 51 tackles through eight games, after back-to-back 100-tackle seasons.

"We have great respect for Daiyan as a player and person, and we wish him all the best moving forward," the Broncos said in a statement, via ESPN's Jeff Legwold.

What happens to Daiyan Henley now?

Henley is in the final year of his rookie contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027, so the knee Denver flagged will be checked again by every team that shows interest in him next spring. The 2023 third-round pick turns 27 next week.

For now, he returns to the Chargers; the team will play the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night. Denver, 7-2 and leading the AFC West, comes out of its bye against the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 22 and will face L.A. again in Denver in Week 18.

Olamilekan Ajayi

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