Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh criticized the Denver Broncos after a proposed trade for linebacker Daiyan Henley collapsed over a disagreement about his medical evaluation.
The teams had agreed that Denver would send the Chargers a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. But Harbaugh said the Broncos wanted to adjust the later pick depending on whether Henley passed their medical review.
“They tied the medical pass-or-fail decision to whether we’d accept less compensation,” Harbaugh told reporters Thursday. “We wouldn’t, and we didn’t. I think the league should look into this kind of loophole. It sets a bad precedent.”
Denver received approval to revisit the trade terms after consulting with the NFL on Wednesday. The Broncos’ medical assessment of Henley reportedly differed from the Chargers’ evaluation before the deal was agreed to.
Harbaugh said Denver indicated it would clear Henley only if the compensation changed. He argued that teams shouldn’t be able to use a medical decision to renegotiate an agreed trade.
“It shouldn’t be a loophole, but apparently it is,” he said. “They told us they wouldn’t pass him for a fourth and a fifth, which was what we’d agreed on. They would pass him for a fourth and … something else. I don’t know what to call that.”
Henley, 26, appeared on the injury report in Week 9 with a shoulder issue but played 61 of the Chargers’ 70 defensive snaps. Harbaugh said he was glad to have the linebacker back with the team.
“He was welcomed back with open arms,” Harbaugh said. “The last couple of days put Daiyan through the wringer. It’s emotional, it’s painful, and the league should take that into account when it looks at this loophole.”
Henley was back in team meetings Thursday. He is in his fourth season with the Chargers, who drafted him in the third round in 2023 out of Washington State.
Across 56 career games, Henley has recorded 317 combined tackles, five sacks, four interceptions and one forced fumble.
