Trade for QB Justin Herbert? Browns fans split; have strong reaction to the idea

When it comes to surprises so far in the 2026 NFL season, the Cleveland Browns 5-2 record, sitting atop the AFC North, is among the biggest. There are others, including the Minnesota Vikings being the lone undefeated team and the Los Angeles Chargers being the lone winless squad, but the Browns succ

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What is the story about?

When it comes to surprises so far in the 2026 NFL season, the Cleveland Browns 5-2 record, sitting atop the AFC North, is among the biggest. There are others, including the Minnesota Vikings being the lone undefeated team and the Los Angeles Chargers being the lone winless squad, but the Browns success in Year 1 under HC Todd Monken

has been fun for Cleveland fans and an interesting storyline for the NFL as a whole.

A win in Week 8 would change things greatly for the Browns chances of turning “surprise”

into “NFL playoff participants.”

Cleveland’s success has come with five come-from-behind wins, with QB Deshaun Watson regaining a version of his elite past late in both halves of games. The rest of the time, the Browns have seen inconsistent play at the quarterback position. That, along with Watson heading into free agency after the season, leaves questions about the future of the position.

Enter QB Justin Herbert and the winless Chargers:

So, we asked Browns fans the same question and, so far, they are split almost right down the middle:

A quick look at Herbert’s season shows why the idea of trading him is even being discussed publicly at all:

59% completion percentage
5 touchdowns
8 interceptions – Which leads the NFL
Career-worst yards per attempt and significantly worst adjusted yards gained per pass attempt (2 strong QB metrics)
Passer rating of 68.8 and QBR of 29.3 – By far his career worsts
Chargers are 0-6

So, a lot of reasons for Los Angeles to potentially look to trade what was assumed to be their franchise quarterback and lots of reasons for Cleveland fans to be hesitant (or stronger words) about trading for him:

As seen in the poll, not everyone was against the idea:

A couple of our loyal readers brought up interesting points. First, dawngregry brought some straight facts followed by some opinions on where a trade might land:

Then, Spidey mentioned a big variable: Would the Browns be gunshy to pull the trigger on another big QB deal after the Watson failed deal?

In the end, a Herbert trade seems highly unlikely for a variety of reasons, including his no-trade clause. Cleveland also seems unlikely to upset the apple cart as they’ll head into the NFL trade deadline with a winning record, at worst, and potentially a commanding lead in the AFC North. Most likely, if Herbert were to be traded, the 2027 NFL offseason would be the earliest, when the Chargers could figure out what their future holds.

For now, Browns fans are almost exactly split on the idea of trading for the struggling superstar, but the poll still has a little bit of time to change drastically. So, vote in the poll and join the conversation in the comment sections.