Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh is not happy with the way the Broncos walked away from a trade for Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley, nor the NFL rules that allowed them to do so.
After agreeing to trade a fourth-round pick and a fifth-round pick for Henley, the Broncos told Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz that they could not do so because Henley’s physical condition revealed concerns about his knee. The Broncos were still willing to trade for Henley, but were less willing to give up. Harbaugh believes physical exams should only be used to determine whether the player is healthy or not, not to renegotiate trade terms.
“What happened with the trade? Here’s what I know, after talking to Joe: The Broncos based their success or failure on a medical note based on the fact that we would accept less compensation, and we didn’t do that and we haven’t done that,” Harbaugh said. “In my opinion, this is one of those flaws that the league should really look into because it sets a bad precedent.”
When asked if teams were allowed to renegotiate trades after the trade deadline, Harbaugh said: “It shouldn’t be, but apparently it is. That’s why it’s a loophole, and teams shouldn’t have the opportunity to do that.”
Harbaugh said the Broncos offered to say Henley passed his physical, but only if the Chargers took something less than the fifth-round pick the Broncos accepted.
“It’s a medical grade. It’s a pass-fail for a medical grade, and they told us they weren’t going to pass it if it was a fourth and a fifth, which was agreed upon – they wouldn’t pass it for that. They would pass it for a fourth and fill in the blank. I don’t know what to call it, but that’s what it is,” Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh is right that the NFL has set a bad precedent. By allowing teams to renegotiate trade terms after the deadline, the NFL encourages teams to engage in bickering during physicals to force their trade partners to accept less favorable deals. The Chargers refused to budge, but NFL rules should not have put the Chargers in a position where they had to make that decision.
Gn sports
