NFL teams have certainly become more cautious about finalizing trades ever since the Baltimore Ravens backed out of the Maxx Crosby trade earlier this offseason after a failed physical. Ahead of the November 10 trade deadline, the Los Angeles Chargers traded linebacker Daiyan Henley to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
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However, Henley is now returning to the Chargers, while the Broncos will keep the two draft picks they received. According to reports, Denver backed out of the deal on Wednesday night after Henley failed his physical. The decision doesn’t appear to have sat well with the linebacker, who recently expressed his frustration.
After the failed Chargers-Broncos trade gained traction and Henley returned to Los Angeles, he took to social media and shared a GIF expressing his frustration.
When the Broncos announced the trade on November 10, they explicitly mentioned that it was pending Henley passing a physical. Henley subsequently went through his physical at the Broncos’ facility on Wednesday. Per reports and sources familiar with the situation, the Broncos discovered an issue with one of Henley’s knees during that examination and reportedly tried to renegotiate the trade.
According to ESPN sources, once the Broncos discovered the knee issue, they didn’t immediately walk away. Instead, Denver reportedly went back to the Chargers and tried to alter the terms of the agreement to reflect what it had found in the physical.
The proposed revised compensation was reportedly less favorable to Los Angeles. The Chargers were given an option involving a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick, or another structure involving a fourth-rounder and a pick swap. However, the two sides couldn’t reach a new agreement.
And because the trade deadline had already passed, there was no time for Denver to simply go find another linebacker through another trade. That means Daiyan Henley will now remain a Charger, at least for the 2026 season.
For broader context, the 26-year-old linebacker is in the final year of his rookie deal and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season. At the same time, the Chargers entered the deadline 0-8 as the only winless team in the league after the first nine weeks of the season.
That created a very straightforward situation for GM Joe Hortiz. The Chargers could either keep Henley for the remainder of a lost season and potentially watch him leave in free agency, or turn him into draft capital immediately. They chose the latter. Henley, meanwhile, was valuable, and draft capital would help Hortiz, considering the team’s disappointing performance this season.
A former third-round pick, Daiyan Henley has recorded 317 combined tackles, 168 solo tackles, and 5 sacks through his NFL career. He entered the 2026 season after recording back-to-back 100+ tackle seasons.
Through eight games this season, the 26-year-old tallied 51 combined tackles, 21 solo tackles, and a half sack. But now that his trade with the Broncos fell apart, it remains to be seen whether he will sign a new contract with the Chargers next year or will play somewhere else in the 2027 season.