The 2026 NFL season has been an absolute disaster for the Los Angeles Chargers. LA is 0-8 on the season and looks in danger of being the first 0-17 team in NFL history. The NFL trade deadline was not much better for the Chargers. LA took a delusional approach to the deadline, only coming around on being sellers at the absolute last minute.

The Chargers did attempt to make one deadline trade, but even that went horribly wrong. LA agreed to terms to send Daiyan Henley to Denver. However, the Broncos released a statement early Thursday morning announcing that the Henley deal was off.

It is an understatement to say that LA's approach to the deadline was a complete mistake. But the Henley trade shows just how much LA's leadership screwed the whole thing up.

Why did the Daiyan Henley trade fall apart?

Both the Chargers and Broncos have confirmed that the trade is off. However, neither team is publicly talking about why the deal did not happen.

At this point, it is unclear if those details will ever see the light of day. NFL insiders could gain more information about the situation and report on it, but there's no guarantee that happens.

The Chargers lost out on some significant assets when this trade fell apart. LA was set to gain a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick in exchange for the veteran linebacker. Those selections could have been useful pieces for rebuilding the roster, which seems destined to happen this offseason.

Regardless, the bigger lesson here is that LA shouldn't have waited until the last minute to do their business.

The Chargers should have been more aggressive ahead of the NFL trade deadline

The Henley trade falling apart is bad, but it could've been survivable if only they'd had more time to negotiate. Or at least find another trade partner for Henley's services.

LA's 0-8 record did not sneak up on the team. The Chargers have been in freefall for weeks and a fire sale seemed like an inevitability. Unfortunately, Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers held onto hope for far too long and missed their opportunity to sell assets.

Now the Chargers are stuck with multiple veterans on expiring contracts who could easily walk away this spring. Players like Henley, Khalil Mack, and Tuli Tuipulotu were not moved at the deadline. Now the best the Chargers can hope for is gaining a few compensatory picks in future seasons.

The Chargers also shot down a Ladd McConkey trade. That is another missed opportunity, though it makes sense to keep McConkey if they did not receive a blockbuster offer.

Ideally, LA's front office will learn from their mistakes and do a better job moving forward. But at this point, there's no way to know how much change will come to the organization if they keep losing games. A new regime could be coming next spring that could bring lots of change to the organization.

If only they had more draft picks to work with.