Jim Harbaugh ended his first year in charge of the Los Angeles Chargers with an 11-6 record. He led the team to the playoffs but fell short in the wild-card round against the Texans. And in this Chargers offseason, the HC is trying to move some pieces in the right spots to take it to the next level. Jim Harbaugh wants this beast, whose NFL career earnings are more than $23 million, in his stable to help Justin Herbert in the upcoming season. 

We are talking about the ex-NY Jets tight end Tyler Conklin. According to Mike Garafolo, “The #Chargers are hosting veteran TE Tyler Conklin on a visit, sources say. A bit of a surprise he’s still available, especially since a few teams have shown interest in signing him, including the Jets, with whom he had 170 catches for 1,622 yards and 7 TDs the last three years.” Jim Harbaugh’s team has already lost Evan Engram in free agency. They must not be taking Conklin for granted as few rivals are interested in him. 

Tyler Conklin hit free agency after his three-year $20,250,000 contract came to an end. Before landing in New York he played for the Vikings, who drafted Conklin in the 2018 NFL Draft. But why does Jim Harbaugh want this tight end for Justin Herbert? In 2024, he played 51 receptions while receiving for 449 yards, which resulted in four touchdowns. 

Three teams from the AFC West are interested in Tyler, per David Latham of LWOS. The Chiefs, the Broncos, and of course the Chargers. Other than the divisional rivals, the Carolina Panthers are also interested. The Chargers need to pull up their socks and live up to their ‘bolt’ reputation if they want to land the 29-year-old tight end. 

Meanwhile, news was breaking out that the Charges lost another important target in the same position. The bidding process ended with the star landing at a rival team in the AFC West.

Jim Harbaugh missed out on star tight end

We are talking about ex-Jaguars TE Evan Engram, who has reportedly packed his bags to land in Denver after bagging a deal with the Broncos, per reports from Sports Illustrated. The Chargers wanted Engram but lost the battle for his signature to their divisional rival. Perhaps this sparked the move for Conklin instead. But what’s the reason behind losing out on Evan Engram?

According to 9News’ Mike Klis, the offers the Chargers and Broncos made were almost the same and Evan chose the Denver Broncos. “Again, his visit included a physical. He took a Tuesday redeye flight back to his Atlanta home, where Wednesday morning he and his wife Emily talked and prayed over the decision,” the reporter elaborated.

He added, “As it turned out, the offers from both the Chargers and Broncos were about the same. Engram chose the Broncos.” Though it’s not clear why he chose the Broncos over the Chargers, one thing is clear: Jim Harbaugh lost out on a former first-round pick in his search for the tight end position. 

The New York Giants drafted the former Ole Miss Rebels player in 2017 but moved on from him in 2021. The two-time Pro Bowler then played with Jacksonville for three seasons from 2022 to 2024. After 2024, the Chargers could have been the third team on his NFL resume, but Jim Harbaugh’s franchise fell short in their desire to bring him to Los Angeles. Let’s see if Tyler Conklin chooses to ‘Bolt up’!