Justin Herbert agrees to landmark extension with Chargers

Jul 27, 2022; Costa Mesa, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) speaks following training camp activities at Jack Hammett Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The LA Chargers’ franchise guy is here to stay.

Tthe Chargers and star quarterback Justin Herbert have agreed to a five-year, $262.5 million extension. The new deal will keep Herbert in Los Angeles through the 2029 season (and makes him the league’s highest-paid quarterback with an average annual value of $52.5 million).

The 25-year-old Herbert now becomes the third top signal-caller to score a lucrative long-term extension from his team this offseason. Jalen Hurts got big money from the Philadelphia Eagles in April before Lamar Jackson got even bigger money from the Baltimore Ravens shortly after. Joe Burrow is still in line for a new extension from the Cincinnati Bengals as well.

Herbert has all of the physical tools to be an elite QB. He was the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 as well as a Pro Bowler in 2021. But Herbert has been held back to this point of his career by a combination of shoddy coaching and his top receivers being in and out of the lineup due to injury. A rib cartilage fracture suffered by Herbert himself near the start of the 2022 campaign didn’t help his cause either.

The Chargers are now betting the farm on Herbert to take that next big step forward in 2023 and beyond. With huge uncertainty surrounding their other top offensive star, it was a move that the Chargers almost had to make.