The next domino on the quarterback mega-extension block has fallen. Justin Herbert has signed a five-year extension with the Los Angeles Chargers, worth $262.5 million, with up to $218 million in guarantees. At an average of $52 million a year, this makes him the highest paid quarterback in the NFL.
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The #Chargers and star QB Justin Herbert have agreed to terms on a blockbuster 5-year extension worth $262.5M, per me and @MikeGarafolo, including monster guarantees to protect Herbert and lock him in for the future.
💰 💰 💰 pic.twitter.com/iMyKEkYLke— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 25, 2023
Justin Herbert Signs Big Extension With Los Angeles Chargers
This had been expected for a while; Justin Herbert is in the final year of his rookie deal (fifth-year option notwithstanding), and he and the Chargers had been in talks for at least a few months. This also means that inevitably Joe Burrow will be getting his mega-extension as well soon; it had been expected for a while that it would be either Herbert or Burrow resetting the quarterback market next.
While the yearly average for the deal is $52 million, it’s a front-loaded contract; Herbert will be getting $100 million in Year 1 alone, which breaks the previous $80 million record.
This ensures that the Chargers lock down their franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future. While they’ve only had one playoff berth (and two winning seasons) in three years with him, that’s hardly been on him; he’s passed for 94 touchdowns in three years–the second most in a quarterback’s first three years, only behind Dan Marino. He’s also had to deal with a rocky relationship with his coach in his rookie year, a bottom-five run-defense unit, an offensive coordinator that didn’t always play to Herbert’s strengths, and most recently, playing injured for close to two months.
In 2023, the Chargers will be looking for–at minimum–their first playoff win in the Herbert era, and will be counting on new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and the addition of first-round receiver Quentin Johnston to help make that happen–as well as more consistent play on defense.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
