Hayden Hurst was sidelined for the second half of the season in 2023 due to lingering issues stemming from a concussion. The veteran tight end – now with the Chargers – has recovered, though, and he recently revealed he could have returned to the Panthers’ lineup had the team been fighting for a postseason berth. 
Hurst was diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia after seeing his one and only Carolina campaign come to an end just nine games into the year. He stated that would not be a season-ending ailment, and his most recent comments on the matter confirm a return to the Panthers could have taken place as the campaign wound down. By that point, though, Carolina was well out of contention for a playoff spot.
“I had the concussion and for a week after it was a little touch-and-go, but I went to the Mayo Clinic down in Jacksonville, got a second opinion, got [a] full clear bill of health,” the 30-year-old said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
“The only reason I sat out as long as I did was just, from the [Panthers’] front office, there was really no point. They were 2-15, or 2-13 at the time, so there was really no point in rushing back.”
At the time that decision was made, Hurst had two years remaining on his contract – a $21.75MM pact signed last offseason. As such, caution in advance of the 2025 campaign would have been reasonable given the team’s situation to close out a campaign in which head coach Frank Reich (and, on Black Monday, general manager Scott Fitterer) were dismissed. However, new general manager Dan Morgan released Hurst at the beginning of March, leaving him on the open market once again.
That set up the former first-rounder’s one-year Chargers agreement, one which will see him re-unite with offensive coordinator Greg Roman (after the pair worked together with the Ravens) and play alongside fellow tight end Will Dissly in Los Angeles’ new-look offense. Putting together a healthy campaign will help Hurst rebound from last year’s concussion while also boosting his 2025 free agent prospects.
378 yards, 3 TDs
Chargers finish 11–6
Home Games: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, Ravens, Bengals, Saints, Buccaneers, Titans
Away Games: Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders, Falcons, Panthers, Patriots, Cardinals, Browns, Steelers
11-6 is doable but it will be interesting to see how this offense looks after parting ways with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Ekeler and Gerald Everett.
Don’t know if I buy 11 wins, not with the current receiver group. If they can cinch up an actual ball catching WR in the draft they might hit 8-9 wins.
It’ll be curious how Harbaugh run first offense survives in a league that’s gone more towards the vertical game. Then again a ‘grinding ground chuck’ offense eats up clock, so as fans we’ll just have to follow.
I’ve tempered my expectations until the draft and final season roster is defined in late August.
I think that the defense will be a bigger question to answer. The offense has lost nearly every star power starter, but retaining Herbert alongside an offensive head coach gives some indication that they could perform at least adequately. The defense was in shambles even with the star power that the Chargers employed. Now that the biggest impediment-Brandon Staley-is out of the picture, there is a good chance for improvement, but the players will be learning an entirely different scheme under a coordinator straight from the college ranks. Minter is going to learn alongside his players this year, and we’ll have to see what the Chargers’ defense evolves into.
As a sidenote, the Joe Hortiz and Greg Roman connection is a bit interesting to me. Will the Chargers emulate the Ravens of a few years ago in the draft, until they can establish a solid foundation? Will we see more influence from the San Francisco Roman-Harbaugh pairing? Or will this be totally new? A small part of me almost expects them to buck all expectations and build their lines up (even with the talent that’s already there in some spots), and leave the skill players for later.
Agree. I expect RT as teams first pick and DB as second. My hopes for WR or Bowers is expectedly ashes.
Factor in primetime games too. I predict chargers get 5 this year