Losing in the Wild Card round in convincing fashion to the Houston Texans wasn’t what the Los Angeles Chargers had in mind for this weekend, but the season as a whole was a success. With a top-ranked defense and improved running game under the leadership of Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers have a bright future ahead of them, but they’ll need more firepower if they want to hang in a loaded AFC. Not only do they have a modern dynasty in their own division, but they also have a multitude of contenders led by elite QBs to worry about in the conference.
If they want to establish themselves as a top contender going into the 2025 season, they’ll need to make a serious upgrade to their receiver room, and who better to add than star WR Tyreek Hill? After public comments demanding a trade from Miami, things could materialize after the conclusion of the Super Bowl, and the Chargers could form the best WR duo in football with a blockbuster trade.
Tyreek Hill Makes All the Sense in the World For the Chargers
The Chargers have an excellent young receiver in Ladd McConkey, who racked up 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns in what was truly a stellar rookie season. He’s one of the few players on Los Angeles’ offense who should look at their performance in Houston with a smile, putting up 197 yards on nine receptions with a touchdown, but that game showed off a massive flaw in their offense. Lined up mostly in the slot, McConkey isn’t going to blow the top off of a defense, allowing for an opposing secondary to force targets against lesser WRs such as Quentin Johnson.
Tyreek Hill’s impact on the gridiron shouldn’t only be measured by his yards or touchdown catches, but by how defenses have to change their gameplan to try and contain him. If a defense is too concerned with containing the All-Pro WR, it creates a scenario where McConkey isn’t the primary threat and can operate more freely as Justin Herbert’s security blanket receiver. The Dolphins have run the Hill-Waddle duo out there and dominated in the passing game despite not having a quarterback as good as Justin Herbert, whose ugly playoff performance was more of an outlier.
Justin Herbert was third in the NFL in big-time throws (33) according to PFF, and finished with his highest PFF Grade ever at 91.7, as his decisions in the pocket improved alongside his efficiency. The Chargers were just 12th in EPA/Play when they passed the football during the regular season despite the excellent tape Justin Herbert had, which could be an indication that they’re in need of some more support for their young QB. Giving Tyreek Hill a strong-armed QB who loves to take a chance downfield is a nightmare for opposing defenses, but can the Chargers afford him?
What would it cost for the Chargers to trade for Hill?
The Chargers have the fourth-most cap space in the NFL ($73.1 million) according to Over The Cap entering this offseason, but they’ll have key members of their defensive line such as Khalil Mack, Poona Ford, and Teair Tart hitting free agency alongside J.K. Dobbins who was their leading rusher this season. How they choose to navigate through free agency remains a mystery, but they would likely have to restructure Tyreek Hill’s contract to make things work as Hill has a $51.8 million cap hit for 2026.
His cap hit for 2025 is just $28.6 million, which the Chargers could work around with some key roster cuts to allow Joe Hortiz to reinforce the defense and improve through the draft. As for the pick compensation, Los Angeles would likely not have to pay a dramatically high price for Hill given his age, contract, and hints at retirement in the coming seasons.
A projected trade package to acquire Hill would problem look something like this:
- 2025 second-round pick
- 2025 fifth-round pick
- 2026 third-round pick
The Dolphins will be getting less back for Tyreek Hill than they initially gave up; they’re trading $60 million in salary for a player who has publicly stated they would retire at the end of their new deal. While he did walk those statements back, Hill does come with a very sporadic and unpredictable temperament, creating distractions that could be against what Jim Harbaugh wants on his team.
Even the trade demand came at an awkward time, as Hill made his comments after the Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention, and while internal dialogue has made Miami believe he wants to stay; I just don’t buy that. He said he wants to contend and didn’t believe it could happen with the Dolphins, a damning statement that indirectly places lots of blame on the current QB and the leadership in the organization.
Adding Hill would give the Chargers an elite receiver duo
As for the Chargers, their offense would be unstoppable with Ladd McConkey in the slot and Tyreek Hill running deep routes, as defenses would be forced to pick their poison on who to let beat them. If they’re adamant about cutting off Hill as he tries to create an explosive play, they’ll leave themselves exposed in the short and intermediate game, where Justin Herbert excelled this season thanks to McConkey’s brilliance.
If Tyreek Hill can shake free, an exposed defense will be left to watch Herbert connect on a game-changing play that could put six on the board in mere seconds. The Chargers can win in the trenches, their defense is excellent, they have a smart head coach who knows how to win, and while they aren’t considered an elite team, Tyreek Hill takes them to that level.
Maybe the Dolphins iron things out with Tyreek Hill or maybe the Chargers don’t want to add that kind of contract to their roster, but if they found a way to make it work, they could go toe-to-toe with any roster in the sport.
