Diontae Johnson trade rumors heat up—and Chargers should be all over it

Chris Roling | 17 Hours Ago

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Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers offense has started to come alive around Justin Herbert ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

But the Ladd McConkey breakout shouldn’t mean the Chargers shy away from trades.

That’s especially the case when the Chargers have yet to actually get DJ Chark on the field—and the NFL trade rumors around names like Carolina Panthers wideout Diontae Johnson continue to heat up.

Johnson has already been linked to the Chargers as an ideal fit many times. And the latest rumor comes from Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, who wrote the following: “There’s a growing belief around the NFL that the Panthers are increasingly likely to trade WR Diontae Johnson before the trade deadline. Multiple contending teams are interested, though determining Johnson’s value has been challenging with him in the last year of his contract.”

Nailing down actual trade compensation for Johnson was always going to be difficult, considering he entered this year with a $10 million cap hit and is a half-season rental who hasn’t exactly been able to produce amid the Bryce Young-Andy Dalton quarterback purgatory.

But Johnson, like Chark, might be able to stretch defenses in interesting ways, better opening up things for McConkey and former first-rounder Quentin Johnston.

If the price isn’t too steep, the Chargers don’t lose much if a new arrival like Diontae Johnson simply doesn’t work out. The front office has a trove of assets about to open up toward the rebuild next offseason, so moving a minor one in exchange for a better chance at a playoff run right now would make some sense.

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