Denver backed out of acquiring Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley after flagging a knee issue in his physical, then reportedly tried to renegotiate the compensation.
The Chargers and Broncos had a trade agreed at Tuesday's deadline: linebacker Daiyan Henley to Denver for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick. It was pending a physical, which is where things fell apart.
The Broncos announced late Wednesday, Nov. 11, that the acquisition "would not be finalized," offering no public explanation beyond saying they had "great respect for Daiyan as a player and person." ESPN later reported that Denver's medical staff had flagged an issue with one of Henley's knees.
That is where it got messier. According to Jim Harbaugh, the Broncos did not just walk away, they tried to redo the deal, offering to take Henley for "a fourth and a fill-in-the-blank" instead of the original package. The Chargers refused and the trade died roughly 33 hours after it was first announced.
Harbaugh is now pushing the NFL to look into what he calls a loophole in the physical exam process that allowed a team to use a medical review as leverage to renegotiate compensation rather than simply killing the deal outright. The league has not commented publicly on the request.