The Los Angeles Chargers are all in on making sure Justin Herbert remains their quarterback well into the future.
That doesn’t mean, however, that getting Herbert’s second contract done will be an easy task, given the team’s financial situation.
Chargers head coach Brandon Staley met with reporters Monday at the annual NFL league meeting and said talks are “ongoing” with Herbert. The 25-year-old quarterback — who was the No. 6 overall pick in 2020 — just finished his fourth season in the league.
“I think those talks are ongoing, I think we’re at the beginning of all of that, but we all know how we feel about him,” Staley said (via Chargers.com). “I think navigating this process we have a really good relationship with his team and I’m confident Justin Herbert’s going to be our quarterback for a long time and that we’ll make sure that we get a great deal done.”
When asked about a timeline on getting an extension done, Staley preached patience.
“These contracts are really complex,” Staley said. “You’re talking about a lot of different things and there’s other quarterbacks certainly that are going through the same thing right now. Just be patient, but the major takeaway is Justin Herbert is going to be our quarterback and we’re so excited that he’s leading our franchise.”
The “complex” part is the quarterback market continues to see salaries on the rise, putting pressure on teams looking to re-sign their quarterbacks (just ask the Baltimore Ravens about Lamar Jackson). Recent deals the New York Giants gave Daniel Jones and Seattle Seahawks paid Geno Smith are in the $40 million per year range guaranteed.
Those players are a tier (or two) below Herbert on the quarterback ladder, so the Chargers will have to pay big to keep their Pro Bowl quarterback. That’s a problem for a team with limited salary flexibility. At this point, it seems the team is most likely to use the fifth-year option on Herbert for 2023. And it’s not out of the question they might have to franchise tag him down the road before getting a long-term deal done.
