Minutes before the NFL's 3 p.m. trade deadline Tuesday, the New Orleans Saints agreed to trade Trevor Penning to the Los Angeles Chargers, according to a league source.
The Saints are receiving a future draft pick in return for Penning from the Chargers, who have already lost both of their starting offensive tackles to injury this season. New Orleans ultimately made two trades prior to the deadline, shipping Rashid Shaheed to the Seahawks earlier in the day.
Now in his fourth season, Penning was on his third position with the Saints, having operated as the team's starting left guard for most of the season. It was not remotely what the Saints envisioned when they drafted him.
The Saints selected Penning in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft with hopes that he would become a franchise left tackle, but for various reasons that did not happen.
Penning suffered a turf toe injury that derailed nearly his entire rookie season. He made one start in 2022, the season finale, and suffered a Lisfranc injury that forced him to spend much of the following offseason in rehabilitation.
New Orleans trotted Penning back out as their starting left tackle in 2023, but he struggled mightily in the role and was banished to the bench before the season reached its midway point.
He appeared to find some stability last season after switching to right tackle after New Orleans drafted Taliese Fuaga, then embraced a move to offensive guard this offseason after the Saints spent another first-round pick on Kelvin Banks Jr.
While the Saints have maintained throughout they've been pleased with Penning's development as a guard, his play still left something to be desired.
Penning once again dealt with a turf toe injury during training camp, this one sidelining him for the first three games of the season. Upon his return, Penning's most notable contribution to the offense came in the form of penalties, with three holding penalties and one false start in his six games.
After the Saints declined to pick up his fifth-year option this offseason, Penning was set to become an unrestricted free agent next March.
Staff writer Matthew Paras contributed to this report.