Chargers GM Speaks Out After Justin Herbert-Patriots Report

If the Patriots actually tried to trade for Justin Herbert, they didn’t get very far.

New England landed its hopeful quarterback of the future Thursday night when it selected Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. But not long after the Patriots made the monumental decision in Detroit, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed some other work the franchise did in the signal-caller department this offseason.

According to Schefter, both New England and the Minnesota Vikings reached out to the Chargers to see if Los Angeles had any interest in trading Herbert. A blockbuster deal obviously never came to pass, and general manager Joel Hortiz on Thursday shed light on how the inquiries were received.

“At the combine I had some people ask me would we consider it, and they were quickly shot down. No, that is never an option,” Hortiz told reporters, per ESPN.

The Chargers found a new blind-side protector for Herbert on Thursday night in the form of Notre Dame product Joe Alt, arguably the best offensive tackle in the 2024 class that was loaded at the position. And seven picks after the Patriots grabbed Maye, the Vikings addressed their dire QB situation by trading up one spot to select J.J. McCarthy.

Both New England and Minnesota probably knew all along their next starting quarterbacks would be acquired through the draft. A Herbert trade was a pipe dream, but hey, all options should be exhausted when it comes to arguably the most important position in all of sports.