Daiyan Henley Trade Called Off by Broncos, LB & Chargers React to Surprise Decision with Funny Posts

Just when you thought the Los Angeles Chargers couldn't suffer further embarrassment during the 2026 NFL season.

The Denver Broncos announced Wednesday night they canceled their trade for Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley.

Henley posted a meme on Thursday morning, and L.A.'s social media team at least had fun with the situation, playfully altering his goodbye graphic when the transaction fell through:

ESPN's Jeff Legwold reported the Broncos didn't disclose why they did a 180. Their trainers may have flagged something from his physical as he went through that process prior to Denver scuttling the trade, per Legwold.

Henley has started in all eight of the Chargers' games, and he has missed a total of just three games across his four years in the league. He's first on the team with 51 combined tackles and has one interception and two fumble recoveries.

The 26-year-old would've given the Broncos another option in the linebacking corps for a defense that hasn't been as dominant as it was in 2025.

With the trade deadline passed, Denver doesn't have another avenue to get a player on par with Henley.

The Chargers, meanwhile, lose the 2027 fourth-round and 2028 fifth-round picks they would've received.

Henley is set to be a free agent this offseason. The absence of an extension and his trade to Denver seemingly signal that Los Angeles didn't view him as a long-term piece of the team.

Maybe Henley will do enough in the second half of the season to change the minds of general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh.

This wasn't the only deadline-day trade that got voided. The Cincinnati Bengals scrapped a deal for the Philadelphia Eagles' Arnold Ebiketie after initially overlooking the fact they'd lose a third-round compensatory pick as a result of the move.