In July, the LA Chargers signed QB Justin Herbert on a five-year contract extension worth $262.5 million, making him the highest paid QB in history – but what is behind this decision, and why do the Chargers have so much pinned on the handsome, reticent player barely out of his rookie season?

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Before we delve into Herbert, let’s look at the LA Chargers.

Who are the LA Chargers?

The LA Chargers play in the NFL and their home games are played at the SoFi Stadium, which the team shares with the LA Rams in Inglewood, California.

The team was founded in 1959, and played their first season in the American Football League in 1960.

In 1961, the team relocated to San Diego, and played as the San Diego Chargers for decades, winning the AFL Championships in 1963.

One of the best performances of the Chargers was in 194, when they won the AFC Championship and a place in the Superbowl but lost 49-26 to the San Francisco 49ers.

2017 saw the Chargers return to LA, and since then they have worked hard to remain in the top flight of the AFC West, finishing 2^nd last year and earning a place in the Wild Card Playoff, which they unfortunately lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-30.

With the contract extension for Justin Herbert, the LA Chargers are showing that they have big plans for the upcoming season, putting their introverted quarterback at the forefront of their plans for domination.

Why Justin Herbert?

Born in March 1998, Justin Herbert developed his amazing throwing arm in his early life, competing in the softball throw tournaments from the age of 7 and winning again and again. The movement into football was almost a no-brainer, and by his senior year of high school, he was named First Team All-State and awarded the Southwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year at Sheldon High School.

College saw him named as QB2 when he started at Oregon, but he soon became a starter, as his freshman season saw him equalling or setting records for things like passing yards and TD passes. While the 2016 season for his college team wasn’t exactly full of glory, it wasn’t for a lack of talent in their QB, at least. The rest of his college career saw him win the Rose Bowl, the Redbox Bowl, and many personal accolades, including Academic All-American for his 4.08 grade point average in Biology.

When it came to the draft, Herbert was picked sixth overall in the first round, and named as backup QB to Tyrod Taylor. His arrival was watched with interest; his play style and movie-star good looks made him seem to be the ultimate sports personality.

This seemed to be spot on for the fans, as he became the starting QB in just the second game of the year. His awesome skills and extensive power in his throw saw him named as Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020.

It was in 2021 that Herbert really came to life, smashing franchise records across the field – from completing 5014 passing yards, 38 passing touchdowns, 63 carries for 302 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, and 15 interceptions in just one season.

What is the secret sauce that makes Herbert so good – and worth so much?

Well, there is that unnaturally good throwing arm. Even his own teammates sometimes are awed by just how far – and how straight - he can throw. Despite this, he is steady and uncomplicated, humble, and quiet.

Unlike some of the other quarterbacks in the NFL, Herbert seems completely disinterested in the trappings of the position. He Is noticeably uncomfortable in front of a microphone, uneasy when put in the spotlight, and often deflecting personal questions to make them about the performance of the team.

Does this make him a better player? Perhaps, he is certainly more focused on his play, running practice drills until they are perfect with that attention to detail that even his teammates are fascinated with.

This ultra focused player looks the part, with his handsome features and good hair – but the only thing that matters is the football. He has no delusions about his position, often the only player who tidies after himself in the locker room and packs his own holdall before away games.

His third season saw Herbert come out of himself a bit more. Maybe through maturity or being more comfortable with his important position – whatever it is, he was more relaxed in interviews, making jokes on camera, and actively encouraging his teammates.

Whatever the secret is, it has transformed Justin Herbert’s career – he was scheduled to earn $4.23 million in his fourth year for the Chargers, and thanks to his new contract that number is about $52.5 million.

The Hall of Fame promises to be a crowded place for quarterbacks in the AFC in 20 years if the current crop of players continue to astound and develop. The 2022 season has highlighted the rise of brilliant young quarterbacks, so much so that Patrick Mahomes, at the age of 27, is the elder statesman of the group. The Kansas City Chiefs player has already put forward an impressive resume for his Hall of Fame credentials. He's already won one Super Bowl and reached another in the first five years of his career.

The Chiefs are once again backed as one of the leading contenders in the odds to win the Super Bowl. A second Vince Lombardi Trophy would all but ensure that Mahomes will be donning a yellow jacket at the end of his career. However, there will be intense competition along the way due to the quality of quarterbacks and teams in the AFC Conference alone. That will make Canton, Ohio a crowded place should they all opt to retire at the same time. It will also make for an enthralling 20 years of AFC action, bringing back memories of the conference when it was at its best, a time when Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger and others battled it out to reach the Super Bowl.

The new era looks even more exciting.

Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes has almost punched his ticket to Canton and, if he opted to retire tomorrow, there would be few doubters that would deny him a place in the Hall of Fame. He has been electric on the field since replacing Alex Smith in his sophomore season. Mahomes appears to be all set to win his second MVP after a brilliant 2022 season in which he propelled the Chiefs to the number one seed, notably without Tyreek Hill.

That was a major challenge for Mahomes, but he passed with flying colors, connecting with his new wideouts. With Travis Kelce closer to the end of his career than the start, he will have to continue to develop players around him. Mahomes will now aim to reach his third Super Bowl to banish memories of his side’s defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 campaign.

Josh Allen

Allen and Mahomes played out a thrilling Divisional Round matchup last season. Mahomes’ brilliance in the final 13 seconds tied the game before the Buffalo Bills were beaten in overtime to deny them a second-straight AFC Championship appearance. Allen has been incredible once again this season, displaying maturity and leadership as well as having every throw in the book. He alone will give the Bills a fighting chance in the AFC every year.

Even after Tom Brady's exit, it was not easy to dethrone the New England Patriots at the top of the AFC East. But Allen and Buffalo are now kings of the East and will now look to transfer that dominance to the AFC. He and his team just need to raise their levels in the big games, because only then can Allen be considered one of the greats.

Joe Burrow

Burrow well and truly announced his arrival lasts season with a brilliant run to knock off the Chiefs away at the AFC Championship Game. The Bengals were not quite ready to win the Super Bowl, narrowly losing out to the Los Angeles Rams. However,  Burrow and his team are a confident bunch and, with Joe Cool as quarterback, will be contenders every year.

Burrow has earned comparisons to Brady when it comes to his demeanor on the field. He always seems to make clutch throws with pinpoint accuracy when it matters the most. Burrow doesn’t have the wow plays of Mahomes and Allen, but he's downright clinical when required. If the Bengals can keep him upright and injury-free, Cincinnati will be a perennial Super Bowl contender.

Burrow has the personality and drive to win multiple crowns. Although he'd be doing very well to ever match Brady, he is certainly capable of winning one or two.

Trevor Lawrence

In the early stages of the 2022 seasons there were fears that Lawrence was trending towards being a bust. He endured a miserable rookie campaign, which was entirely the fault of former head coach Urban Meyer, who failed to last the term with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Doug Pederson’s arrival promised stability and the chance for Lawrence to develop. It didn’t appear to go that way after a poor performance in a loss to the Denver Broncos.

But from then on Lawrence flicked the switch and was sensational down the stretch, guiding his team to seven victories in nine games. The Jags won the AFC South for the first time since 2017 and it could well be the start of an era of dominance. Lawrence’s performances were made all the more impressive considering the lack of talent around him. If the Jags get him some top-tier receivers, he will flourish in Florida.

Justin Herbert

Herbert is the other quarterback in the AFC West that has all the tools, but has not quite put it all together yet. He won Rookie of the Year ahead of Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa in 2020, but he has not been able to take the next step yet, despite making the post-season for the first time in 2022. The Los Angeles Chargers have always had a string of bad luck and bad decision-making that has held them back. They cannot afford to let that happen to Herbert as it did his predecessor Rivers.

Herbert has all the talent in the world and skills to match Mahomes, Allen and Burrow. He just needs to settle in with a composed coach that will allow him to thrive in the big moments. Herbert could be the answer to the Chargers’ longstanding playoff woes.

Tua and Lamar

Lamar Jackson could have been on the same trajectory as the other quarterbacks, but injuries and a lack of post-season form has stalled his progress. Renowned for his running ability, he has developed as a passer, making him a dual-threat quarterback. Until he can resolve his injury woes once and for all, he and the Baltimore Ravens are going nowhere.

It’s the same story for Tua and the Miami Dolphins. After two poor seasons, head coach Mike McDaniel appeared to unlock Tua's potential. Tua connected with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle to devastating effect to propel Miami towards the number one seed in the AFC. However, he sustained two concussions over the course of the season, the second one ruling him out of the final three games of the campaign. That is a huge concern for the Dolphins moving forward, and could end a bright career.