The Los Angeles Chargers have shown no sign that Justin Herbert is available before next Tuesday's NFL trade deadline. An ESPN analyst still thinks the Minnesota Vikings should try to make a seismic splash. Aaron Schatz urged the Vikings to "go big or go home" when naming Herbert as a player they should pursue.
He wondered if a change of scenery could help revive the reeling 28-year-old quarterback. "Would coach Kevin O'Connell be able to unlock the skills that made Herbert great early in his career in a way LA coordinator Mike McDaniel hasn't been able to this season?" Schatz asked. Herbert is having a nightmarish season for the 0-7 Chargers, posting five touchdowns to 10 interceptions.
His quarterback rating never finished below 93.2 in his first six seasons, but it's currently down to 69.3. Meanwhile, an elite defense has carried the Vikings to a 6-1 start despite ranking 31st in passing offense. Kyler Murray is averaging a modest 6.6 yards per contest, leading skeptics to wonder if the former No. 1 pick will deter Minnesota's Super Bowl hopes.
Herbert could look much better throwing passes to Justin Jefferson in O'Connell's offense. However, it remains unlikely that the Chargers will entertain such a massive midseason move. In fact, ESPN's Dan Graziano reported that the league's only winless team doesn't seem inclined to significantly sell before the deadline.
"I've been asking teams if they have a sense of what the Chargers are going to do ahead of the trade deadline, and a couple told me over the weekend that they don't get the sense that Los Angeles is eager to enter teardown mode," Graziano wrote. "At least entering Sunday, I wasn't getting the impression that the Chargers were open to trading players to inquiring teams."
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