Justin Herbert wasn’t on the radar as a trade candidate when the 2026 season started. Now seven weeks in and a winless start later, all of a sudden Herbert could be part of the pending fire sale the Los Angeles Chargers conduct as this season is a lost cause. If Herbert doesn’t get traded in the next couple of weeks, he could very well be a big offseason acquisition for one of these teams.

Here’s every possible landing spot, ranked, as Herbert’s time in Los Angeles might be coming to an end.

5. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts won’t trade Daniel Jones, but they can accept they made a horrible mistake in giving him $40 million per year after he tore his Achilles. Indianapolis is stripping this team down at the NFL trade deadline, which opens the opportunity for them to rebuild without completely starting over. Jones is on a two-year deal, so realistically, eating the second half of his contract considering he’s not playing that great is something to consider. 

This comes down to how the Colts move forward during this fire sale. If they give away all their top players for draft assets, it wouldn’t make sense. That said, if Jonathan Taylor survives the deadline and the offseason, bringing in a better quarterback might keep them from having to go through a full rebuild. 

4. New York Jets

Who knows if Aaron Glenn will be around after this season. If he is, this is the move to make. If he isn’t, this is still the move to make. The New York Jets are probably cursed at this point with the luck they’ve had, and maybe Herbert is the key to breaking that curse. Quarterback play has been miserable and Herbert could save that. It feels like the Jets have been a quarterback away for a while now and they could finally get bailed out. 

I could see why the Jets would lean toward a young quarterback just because they aren’t in a win-now situation, but at some point, the Jets have to stop taking unnecessary gambles on youngsters and turning to veterans that will actually have a chance at elevating this team. Rodgers was supposed to be that, but he’s also at the end of his career. Herbert is just starting to hit his prime, which is exactly why the Jets should be interested. 

3. Cleveland Browns

Cleveland found out this season that competent quarterback play was the one thing holding them back all along. That’s not to say Deshaun Watson has been playing well because that’s a stretch, but he hasn’t been costing them games, which is key. This also means Cleveland knows how important it is to have a consistent quarterback. Herbert is just that and Cleveland has the draft capital to land him. This makes a lot of sense for Cleveland because this year might have just opened their championship window. 

It wouldn’t make sense to rely on Shedeur Sanders, who clearly still has a development window; nor does it make sense to retread with Watson after how chaotic the first four seasons were, regardless of what happens in 2026. Herbert gives the Browns a legitimate chance to continue being AFC contenders and they have the ability to do it without having to rely on young and inexperienced quarterbacks.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

Aaron Rodgers has already told the Pittsburgh Steelers brass — and the rest of the NFL world for that matter — he won’t be coming back for the 2027 season. That means Pittsburgh is no longer at the mercy of a lengthy Rodgers offseason decision. It also means they need to start looking at who’s going to take over for him. Herbert is the perfect player to fill in. The Steelers have decent weapons (certainly better than what Los Angeles currently has) and they have a major vacancy. 

Sure the Steelers have Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar to choose from, but are any of those options better than Herbert? Even with Herbert’s down season, the answer is no. That’s why they’ll have to seriously consider trading for Herbert if they don’t want quarterback questions to hang over their 2027 season. 

1. Minnesota Vikings

Kyler Murray has been good enough, but it’s clear he’s not the answer the Minnesota Vikings need in the long term. Herbert, on the other hand, would be in the perfect situation in Minnesota. Minnesota is in the perfect situation with their roster right now. They have perimeter weapons, a solid running back and an elite defense. If Murray could lead this team to being the only undefeated NFL team through the first seven weeks, Herbert might finally be able to win his first playoff game if he landed with the Vikings. 

That said, I could see why the Vikings wouldn’t be interested in this deal because they’ve chosen bottom-of-the-barrel quarterbacks and still been able to win — J.J. McCarthy was 9-8 last season. Minnesota doesn’t need to make a big splash, but it wouldn’t hurt if they did either.