Tag: Justin Herbert extension

Breaking down the cap: Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s new contract

Here is a full breakdown of the cap from Justin Herbert’s new contract moving forward for the Chargers.

Quarterback Justin Herbert’s payday arrived with the Chargers, agreeing to terms on a massive $262.5 million extension, locking him in until 2029.

Here is a full breakdown of the cap from Herbert’s new contract moving forward for the Chargers.

Herbert’s signing bonus is $16.12 million and will be prorated over five seasons. He also has the chance to earn a bonus of $50.61 million in 2024 (prorated over 5 years) and another option bonus of $45 million in 2024 (prorated over 5 years.)

2023: Base salary of $1.01m, signing bonus (including rookie bonus) $7.45m, cap hit $8.46m

2024: Base salary of $6m, signing bonus $3.22m, optional bonus $10.12m, cap hit $19.35m

2025: Base salary of $15m, signing bonus $3.22m, optional bonus $19.12m, cap hit $37.35m

2026: Base salary of $24m, signing bonus $3.22m, optional bonus $19.12m, cap hit $46.35m

2027: Base salary of $36m, signing bonus $3.22m, optional bonus $19.12m, cap hit $58.35m

2028: Base salary of $47m, roster bonus $5m, optional bonus $19.12m, cap hit $71.12m

2029: Base salary of $40.5m, roster bonus $10m, optional bonus $9m, cap hit $59.5m

Though the cap numbers above are shockingly high, Herbert should be restructured going into the 2027 season – five years after his initial signing. His contract is mostly likely to be either extended again or reworked to push the cap into further years, extending his time on this current deal before striking up another one. The salary cap also increases every season, allowing Herbert to stay well under 20% of the team’s total projected cap space in the seasons to come.

Contract breakdown for Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s extension

Justin Herbert will be in Los Angeles for years to come.

The Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert have agreed to a long-awaited blockbuster contract extension totaling a whopping $262.5 million over 5 years, making Herbert the highest-paid player in NFL history and locking him through 2029.

The multi-year contract includes $218 million guaranteed: $133.7 million of this number is fully guaranteed and $193.7 million is the injury guarantee. Over the full term, Herbert could potentially make $218.7 million. This guaranteed number is only less than one other player in the league – Deshaun Watson who makes $230 guaranteed – and surpasses Lamar Jackson’s guaranteed number by $30 million.

In Year 1, Herbert gets $100 million, topping the previous high of $80 million. Herbert’s contract averages an annual value of $52.5 million per season. He is now the third quarterback in 2023 to slide into the No. 1 spot for the highest-paid quarterback in history. Herbert has thrown for 14,089 yards and 94 touchdowns and touts an impressive 96.2 passer rating through his first three seasons.

Not only this but his $3,224,375 fifth day of training camp roster bonus will most likely be converted into a signing bonus since it has yet to be earned.

With Herbert locked in on a multi-year deal, the Chargers are looking at a very bright future ahead of them.

Instant analysis of Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s record-breaking contract extension

Justin Herbert got paid. What does this mean for the Chargers moving forward?

It was inevitable, really.

We all knew Justin Herbert was getting extended by the Chargers. Succeeding Philip Rivers in the powder blue seemed to be a near-impossible act to follow, and yet the No. 6 overall pick in 2020 stepped into those shoes without missing a beat. After a near-MVP caliber season in 2021 and a season hampered by lingering injury in 2022, the only question remaining was how much is this going to cost?

Tuesday, we got our answer. Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension with Los Angeles, ensuring that he will remain the face of the franchise well into his prime and making him the highest-paid quarterback in the league. The analysis for the contract itself is pretty simple: it’s worth it. Doesn’t matter the length or the dollar amount. Worth it.

With that out of the way, the Herbert extension does cause ripples. Around the league, yes, but also within the Chargers’ own facility. They no longer have a stud quarterback on a cost-controlled deal, the way that most of this decade’s contenders have. LA can not afford to pay two wide receivers more than $20 million a season, nor can they pay two pass rushers north of that number. They certainly can’t do all four of those deals, the way they are in 2023.

That, of course, means there will be difficult decisions to be made. One of Keenan Allen or Mike Williams will more than likely have to go, unless one or both are willing to take a steep discount. LA has already prepped for this outcome by grooming Josh Palmer and 2023 first rounder Quentin Johnston behind their offensive stalwarts.

Same goes for Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, the defensive equivalent to Allen and Williams as an uber-talented duo with a lengthy injury history. The Chargers have 2023 second rounder Tuli Tuipulotu waiting in the wings, and starting snaps may need to come to him as soon as 2024.

Elsewhere, the Chargers will have more difficult decisions to make. At wide receiver and pass rusher, there are at least two stellar options with understudies that the team feels confident in. That’s less true at safety or center, where Derwin James and Corey Linsley are taking up $9.1 million and $13.1 million of the cap, respectively. Linsley in particular is likely on the backstretch of his Chargers tenure, but his addition has been the catalyst to transforming the offensive line and there’s no clear replacement on the roster.

There will be other moves to reshape the roster in this new era. Michael Davis and Gerald Everett are on expiring contracts worth north of $8 million. Austin Johnson and Sebastian Joseph-Day are both making $9 million or more. Austin Ekeler, currently making $7.75 million, seems headed for free agency after this season.

Oh, and Rashawn Slater is due for a similarly market-setting extension next season, further complicating the balance sheet.

All of this converges on the same conclusion: now that the Chargers are paying their signal caller the big bucks, Tom Telesco must hit on his draft picks. Johnston and Tuipulotu will likely need to play big roles sooner rather than later. Day 3 gems, like starting right guard Jamaree Salyer, will be crucial to success going forward.

It’s painful to think about, but look no further than the divisional rival Chiefs for the blueprint here. Jaylen Watson, who had the game-winning pick 6 against the Chargers last season, was a seventh round pick. Kansas City got decent production out of bargain bin receivers after trading Tyreek Hill to Miami. Same thing at running back, where seventh rounder Isiah Pacheco took over as the starter by the end of the season.

Well, that’s Patrick Mahomes, you might say. He just has a different gravity to him, of course these nobodies can get production on an offense with him at the helm.

That’s fair.

But so is this: the Chargers are now paying Justin Herbert to have that same aura about him. It’s now up to the front office to find the right nobodies to propel LA to new heights.

Chargers make Justin Herbert highest-paid quarterback in NFL

Justin Herbert is deserving of every single penny.

The Chargers and Justin Herbert have agreed to a five-year deal worth $262.5 million, making him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.

Herbert surpasses Ravens QB Lamar Jackson’s previous extension of five years worth $260 million.

Herbert has been nothing short of outstanding in his first three seasons with the Bolts, throwing for 14,089 yards, 94 touchdowns and 35 interceptions and shattering various records along the way.

Last season, Herbert battled fractured rib cartilage and a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, other key players on the offense dealt with injuries and they did not have a speed option, which limited him from uncorking it.

Herbert has yet to fully unlock what makes him such a great player: his immense arm strength and talent. Insert offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and wide receiver Quentin Johnston.

Moore’s system is the recipe to success for Herbert, and so is the return of all key members on the offensive side of the ball, including left tackle Rashawn Slater and the addition of Johnston.

If he can stay healthy, the Chargers have the potential to make deep runs for years to come.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley: Justin Herbert contract talks are ‘ongoing’

Brandon Staley sounded off on the Chargers’ contract negotiations with Justin Herbert.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is due for a contract extension. When? That remains to be seen. But he will get one soon.

On Monday, head coach Brandon Staley said negotiations are “ongoing,” according to ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry. Staley said this before participating in the team’s charity golf tournament.

Staley last provided an update ahead of the NFL draft, and while he believes not much has changed since then, he expressed continued “faith” in the organization.

Los Angeles exercised Herbert’s fifth-year option this past April. Even though a deal has not been made, Herbert expressed his commitment to the Chargers.

“They’ve done such a great job of taking care of us and my message really hasn’t changed,” Herbert said. “It’s been an honor to be a part of this team. It’s great to come to events like this and whatever happens, happens and it’s out of my control at this point.”

Herbert was also asked if he would be OK with playing this upcoming season without a deal.

“That’s a good question. I think that’s something you have to address and you have to think about,” Herbert said. “My job at this point is just to play quarterback and to be the best leader, quarterback and teammate that I can be. So I’m doing everything I can to rehab, get back and make sure my shoulder is ready for this season.”

Herbert, who tore his labrum in his left shoulder in the team’s Week 17 victory over the Jaguars, provided an update on how he was feeling after getting surgery back in January.

“I feel a lot better,” Herbert said. “The shoulder is holding up, been able to lift quite a bit more, conditioning, so picking up more, especially upper body-wise. So it has been tough. It’s an unlike any other offseason for me, but you have to find a way to make it work.”

In three seasons, Herbert has 14,089 passing yards, 94 touchdowns and 35 interceptions with a 66.9 completion percentage.

New quarterback deals reset standard for Chargers’ extension of Justin Herbert

The contracts divvied out to quarterbacks this week have virtually guaranteed Justin Herbert an eye-watering payday on his next contract.

With the offseason in full swing and free agency set to start, two quarterback contracts finalized this week could set the market for the Chargers’ future negotiations with Justin Herbert. Herbert is entering his fourth season under center in Los Angeles and will be due for a massive payday.

The Saints’ signing of Derek Carr earlier this week sent shockwaves around the league. And the Giants’ decision to give Daniel Jones more than $80 million in guaranteed money set a new standard for what quarterbacks can expect to make.

Herbert’s youth will factor into the length and total dollar amount of his new contract, and negotiations could get tense as the Chargers will almost certainly want to keep their franchise quarterback in Los Angeles for the better part of a decade on his second deal.

With the market’s volatility and seemingly parabolic rise in average pay per year, the Chargers may be forced to resort to the franchise tag when dealing with Herbert and could deploy a strategy similar to that of the Ravens in their negotiations with former MVP Lamar Jackson.

Baltimore placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, paving the way for other teams to set his market while Baltimore has the right of first refusal and the ability to match any contract offered to the 26-year-old.

Los Angeles’ salary cap situation will need to be rectified before they can give Herbert a second contract. Given the utter lack of flexibility, the Chargers may be resigned to using the fifth-year option to keep Herbert under center in powder blue and sunshine gold in 2024.

Chargers HC Brandon Staley on potential contract extension for Justin Herbert: ‘We all know how we feel about Justin’

Brandon Staley seemed optimistic about a potential extension for Justin Herbert.

The Los Angeles Chargers live and die by the contributions they get from quarterback Justin Herbert, and entering the last year of his rookie contract, the team would be wise to figure out his next deal sooner rather than later.

Head coach Brandon Staley addressed the team’s need to sign Herbert to an extension in his comments to reporters at the Chargers’ end-of-season press conference. He seemed optimistic about the quarterback’s future with the team.

“I think that’s going to be a big topic in the offseason,” Staley explained. “I think we all know how we feel about Justin. I know those conversations will take place in the right space and time. We have really good relationships with his team. I’m confident that Justin Herbert is going to be a Charger for a long time.”

After another season without a playoff win, Los Angeles will need to do everything in its power to surround Herbert with a play-caller that will maximize his strengths and bring him an explosive pass-catcher with speed.

If they can’t, and a long-term deal isn’t made in the near future, Herbert could choose to seek greener pastures when his contract expires.