When Odafe Oweh woke up in Baltimore on Tuesday morning, he had no idea he would end the day on the opposite side of the country playing for a different team.
In the afternoon, Oweh found out that the Ravens had traded him to the Chargers for safety Alohi Gilman, and less than 24 hours later, he was practicing in Los Angeles.
“Initially I was shocked with how everything happened,” Oweh said on Wednesday (via Chargers editorial director Eric Smith). “I had no prior knowledge to what was going on.”
Later, however, Oweh mentioned (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim) that he was more surprised by the timing of the trade than the fact that it happened at all. He discussed an extension with the Ravens in the offseason, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, but talks did not get far. At that point, Oweh knew that 2025 would be his last year in Baltimore. The Ravens felt the same way and were not planning to re-sign him after the season, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano.
“I definitely didn’t think it was gonna happen before the [Ravens’ Week 7] bye,” Oweh added, but he indicated that he was not caught completely off guard by the move.
Though the two teams’ head coaches are brothers – Jim and John Harbaugh – the relationship between their general managers was largely responsible for the deal. Chargers GM Joe Hortiz worked under Ravens GM Eric DeCosta for several years before he moved to Los Angeles last offseason. The Harbaughs did not talk until after the trade was completed, per Zrebiec.
Both Oweh and Gilman are expected to suit up for their new teams in Week 6.