Perfect offseason trade Chargers need to make after ugly playoff loss to Patriots

The Los Angeles Chargers have had two solid seasons with Jim Harbaugh as head coach and two disastrous playoff appearances. A year after they were pummeled by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card game, the New England Patriots shut them down in the same round and ended their season with a 16-3 defeat.

Something is clearly missing from the Chargers. Los Angeles has multiple needs on both sides of the ball that they can address through free agency and the NFL Draft. They can also help themselves by making a trade. The Chargers should go after is edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.

The Bengals pass rusher is scheduled to be a free agent at the start of the league year. That means Hendrickson can sign with a new team in mid-March. However, if the Chargers can entice the Bengals to trade his rights prior to March 11, they could make him a remarkable offer. If that happens, he could eschew free agency and sign a long-term deal with the Chargers.

The benefit to making a trade for Hendrickson before he becomes a free agent is immense. It demonstrates to Hendrickson how much the Chargers want him. It is willing to sacrifice a player or a draft pick to get him when they could gamble and give up nothing for the opportunity to speak with him. The Chargers will send a message to the player that they value Hendrickson above and beyond the money it will pay to sign him to a contract.

It also tells the rest of the players in the league that the Chargers are willing to pay a premium to get the player that they really want. It changes the image of the team when it comes to signing high-quality free agents.

Chargers need a dominant defensive player

The Chargers had a decent year from a defensive perspective as they ranked 9th in points allowed. They gave up 20.0 points per game and that’s a decent ranking. However, if the Chargers are going to challenge the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs (if they bounce back to top form in 2026), they need to play a dominant level of defense and not just a pretty good one.

The Chargers’ defense focused on the play of linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu. He led the team with 13 sacks, 20 tackles for loss and 49 stops. Additionally, he had 3 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery. By the end of the season, opponents were focusing on Tuipulotu and it’s clear that he would benefit from having another pass rusher who can collapse the pocket and wreak havoc.

Fellow linebacker Odafe Oweh was second on the Chargers with 7.5 sacks and 8 tackles for loss along with 28 tackles in 12 games.

Hendrickson was limited to 7 games last season with the Bengals due to a pelvic injury, but the 31-year-old should be back to full health next season.

He led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024 and he also had 19 tackles for loss, 36 quarterback hits, 6 passes defensed, 2 force fumbles and 79 tackles. He also had 17.5 sacks in 2023, and he is the one player who may be able to challenge the NFL record of 23.0 sacks set by Myles Garrett this season for the Cleveland Browns.

Chargers would have to put together spectacular package to sign Hendrickson

Hendrickson is far more than a player who puts great numbers on the board. He has an incredible motor that allows him to get off the line of scrimmage faster than nearly every other edge rusher. By having Hendrickson on the front line, it will make every other defensive player on the Chargers that much more effective.

The 9-year veteran from Florida Atlantic is not huge for a pass rusher at 6-4 and 265, but his strength and power should not be underrated. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his last four full seasons with the Bengals, and he was also a 1st team All-Pro in 2024.

The speedy pass rusher was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 2017, and he had 3 ordinary seasons before he came into his own 2020 with 13.5 sacks. The Bengals made him a 4-year, $60 million offer, and he is going to get a deal that guarantees him at least $30 million per year. He will probably want at least 4 years on his next deal, and it will be up to owner Dean Spanos and general manager Joe Hortiz to come up with that kind of deal if they are going to sign him and make Harbaugh a happy head coach.

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