The big deal is done. Justin Herbert’s much-anticipated, eagerly-awaited mammoth contract extension with the Chargers was agreed upon Tuesday afternoon, on the eve of the opening of training camp at Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, the team announced.
The extension reportedly is worth $262.5 million over five seasons, making Herbert, 25, the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history. He was the league’s second-leading passer last season behind Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, his third after a stellar collegiate career.
Only the timing of the agreement, which will keep him in uniform through the 2029 season, was a surprise. It had been assumed that Herbert and the Chargers would get a deal done at some point before Labor Day, with Herbert saying on the final day of spring practice, “It’s something that I really haven’t thought a whole lot about.”
“I think the world of the Chargers’ organization,” Herbert added. “I’ve got complete faith in the front office.”
The feeling was mutual, as Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said at the end of last season, after the team’s wild-card playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Herbert could have become a free agent after the 2024 season, after his rookie contract expired, but the Chargers wouldn’t allow it to happen.
“I sleep better at night knowing we have a franchise quarterback,” Telesco said of Herbert, who threw for 4,739 yards last season, his third in a row of more than 4,000 yards. “He’s done so much already in his young career, yet we all know there’s still a lot there because of his commitment to the game.
“He’s a perfectionist and how much he does in preparation for his job. What I’ve been around, all the great quarterbacks have that, as far as what they do in the building to prepare for the next opponent and the amount of work into it. Then, combine that with his physical ability. We’re extremely lucky to have him. We’re going to just kind of keep building around him, build him a defense to get him the ball back and go from there.”
Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles ($255 million over five years) and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens ($260 million over five years) set a high bar for standout young quarterbacks with their contract extensions earlier this year. But Herbert topped both of them with his new deal with the Chargers.
Herbert was the Chargers’ first-round draft pick in 2020, after a record-setting career at the University of Oregon. He became the Chargers’ starting quarterback as a rookie in the ‘20 season and passed for 4,336 yards in 15 games and then set a franchise record with 5,014 yards in the ‘21 season.
Herbert was named the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in ‘20 and earned his first Pro Bowl selection after the 2021 season. His ‘22 season got off to a rocky start, when he suffered broken rib cartilage in the Chargers’ loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Week 2.
The Chargers rallied from a 6-6 record to finish with victories in four of their final five regular-season games, advancing to the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 season. Overall, Herbertt has passed for more yards (14,089) and completed more throws (1,316) than any quarterback in his first three years in league history.
This season, Herbert will team with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who replaced Joe Lombardi after the 2022 season. Moore is expected to give Herbert more opportunities to throw downfield for more explosive plays and also to bolster the ground game, which would relieve some pressure from Herbert.
“I wouldn’t want to limit it,” Telesco said when asked in January what might be next for Herbert. “He’s a young quarterback still. I’m surprised nobody has asked about the ‘window’ that we all talk about, that you can only win in the ‘window’ when a quarterback is on a rookie contract, which I just don’t believe in.
“Justin will be at that point (when) we’ll have to pay him a lot more. Every player, I don’t care how good you are, there are always things to improve on every offseason. I’m not going to sit here and go through a list with him, but he’s the youngest quarterback in our division right now, which is a good place to be.”
