Chargers Sign New Quarterback Amid Justin Herbert Trade Rumors & Disastrous Start

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Not a single person thought the Chargers would be 0-5 to start the 2026 NFL season after their 2025 campaign.

A major reason for this disastrous opening stretch is the uncharacteristically poor play of star quarterback Justin Herbert. It is hard to ignore how poorly he has regressed in 2026. One thing Chargers fans could count on was him playing well in the regular season before flaming out in the playoffs.

This year, it looks like the opposite, as the team heads into a playoff-less year.

Because of how badly he has been playing, the team had to sign another quarterback.

Chargers Sign Jake Browning as Backup After Disastrous 0-5 Start

The Los Angeles Chargers are adding a veteran quarterback to their roster ahead of this Sunday’s showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.

According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Chargers are signing Jake Browning to their roster. It remains unclear if he’ll be the clear-cut No. 2 option on the depth chart. The 6’2, 210-pound Browning has 2,707 career passing yards with 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

After spending the first three seasons in Minnesota, Browning spent the next four years with the Bengals. Most recently, Jake Browning spent the 2026 offseason with the Bucs.

Addressing Justin Herbert Trade Rumors

Despite how badly he is playing, Justin Herbert is not going anywhere. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that he spoke with a “high-level league executive” who said it would be “really interesting” if Los Angeles decided to trade Herbert.

Schefter took that idea to someone with the Chargers just to hear their thoughts. He came back and reported, “The person basically cut me off mid-sentence, stopped me in my tracks, and said, ‘Let me be very clear about this. We have never even discussed that idea. The sentence should we trade Justin Herbert has never once been uttered in our organization, nor will it be.”

Trading Herbert for three first-round picks and adding those to their own draft capital would give the Chargers plenty of assets to accelerate a rebuild. However, it appears the team is not considering that.