Justin Herbert
Justin Herbert is the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback, 2020 Offensive Rookie of the Year and rookie touchdown record holder, drafted sixth overall from Oregon.
Justin Herbert is an American football quarterback who has started for the Los Angeles Chargers since the 2020 season. The Chargers drafted him sixth overall out of his hometown university, Oregon. He set the NFL rookie record for touchdown passes, won the 2020 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award and in 2023 signed what was then the richest annual-value contract ever given to a quarterback. A 6-foot-6 passer with rare arm strength and mobility for his size, he became the centerpiece of the Chargers’ rebuild under Jim Harbaugh. His career has also raised one of the league’s most persistent questions: how a quarterback with numbers this good has gone so long without a playoff win.
| Vitals | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 10, 1998, Eugene, Oregon |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Height / weight | 6-6, 236 lb |
| Teams | Oregon Ducks (2016–2019); Los Angeles Chargers (2020–present, as of Nov. 7, 2026) |
| Draft | 2020, Round 1, No. 6 overall, Los Angeles Chargers |
| Contract status | Under a five-year, $262.5 million extension signed July 25, 2023, running through the 2029 season (as of Nov. 7, 2026) |
| Number | 10 |
Oregon
The local kid. Herbert grew up in Eugene and played at Sheldon High School before signing with Oregon, according to his Wikipedia biography. He started as a true freshman in 2016, becoming the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Ducks since Chris Miller in 1983. He threw for 1,936 yards and 19 touchdowns in seven starts that year.
Interrupted, then complete. He fractured his collarbone against California on Sept. 30, 2017, after a 4–1 start. He returned to win the last two regular-season games, going 6–1 as a regular-season starter, and then lost the 38–28 Las Vegas Bowl to Boise State, which left him 6–2 in eight starts that season. Herbert threw for 3,151 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2018. As a senior in 2019 he passed for 3,471 yards and 32 touchdowns, and Oregon went 12–2, won the Pac-12 championship and beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Herbert ran for three touchdowns in that game and was named its offensive MVP, per Wikipedia.
The student. Herbert won the 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy, often described as the academic Heisman, and was twice named the football Academic All-America of the Year. He left Oregon second in school history with 10,541 passing yards and 95 passing touchdowns, according to KLCC’s report on his draft night.
Chargers career and passing records
The arrival. The Chargers took Herbert with the sixth overall selection of the 2020 draft. He was the third quarterback selected. He became the starter early in his rookie season after an injury to Tyrod Taylor. He threw for 4,336 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, breaking Baker Mayfield’s rookie record of 27 touchdown passes, as Guinness World Records lists. His 396 completions, 36 total touchdowns and eight 300-yard games were also rookie records, and he was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The 5,000-yard year. In 2021, Herbert threw for 5,014 yards and 38 touchdowns. It was the first 5,000-yard passing season in franchise history, and it earned him his first Pro Bowl selection. The Chargers finished 9–8 and were eliminated in overtime by the Raiders in Week 18.
Playoffs, and a collapse. The 2022 Chargers went 10–7 despite Herbert’s fractured rib cartilage early in the season. On Jan. 14, 2023, they lost the wild-card round 31–30 at Jacksonville after leading 27–0, a result Wikipedia records among the largest blown leads in postseason history.
The contract. On July 25, 2023, Herbert and the Chargers agreed to a five-year, $262.5 million extension. Its $52.5 million average made him the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history by annual value at the time of signing, according to the Associated Press. That 2023 season ended in Week 14 with a broken index finger on his throwing hand that required surgery. The Chargers dismissed head coach Brandon Staley before the season was over.
The Harbaugh era
A new structure. The Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh on Jan. 24, 2024, weeks after he won a national championship at Michigan. Harbaugh had played quarterback for the San Diego Chargers in 1999 and 2000, passing for 2,761 yards in 1999 and 1,416 yards in 2000, a total of 4,177 yards with the franchise.
Efficiency over volume. Harbaugh’s run-first approach cut Herbert’s attempts to 504 in 2024, his lowest total in a full season. He responded with 3,870 yards, 23 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, with a 101.7 passer rating, the best rating of his career. The Chargers went 11–6, then lost 32–12 at Houston in the wild-card round on Jan. 11, 2025. Herbert threw four interceptions in that game.
Second Pro Bowl. The 2025 Chargers opened with a 27–21 win over Kansas City in São Paulo and finished 11–6. Herbert threw for 3,727 yards and 26 touchdowns in 16 games and set a career high with 498 rushing yards. He also played through a fractured left hand that was surgically repaired in December. He was selected to the 2026 Pro Bowl Games, the second Pro Bowl of his career. The season ended with a 16–3 wild-card loss at New England on Jan. 11, 2026.
2026 season
A new coordinator. Before the 2026 season, the Chargers hired Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator. The Chargers’ official profile records that Herbert reached 25,000 career passing yards in Week 1, the fourth-fastest player in NFL history to do so.
An 0–7 start. The milestone came in a 26–14 home loss to Arizona on Sept. 13, 2026, the first of seven straight defeats. The losses ran through a 22–6 loss at Kansas City on Oct. 18 and a 24–9 loss to the Rams on Nov. 1, per the ESPN schedule. Through seven games, Herbert had completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,398 yards, 5 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, with a 69.3 rating, and he had been sacked 23 times. After the Rams game, The Big Lead noted that his 50 losses since 2020 were the most of any quarterback in that span. As of Nov. 7, 2026, the Chargers were the league’s only winless team and were scheduled to host Houston on Nov. 8.
By the numbers
Regular season, per ESPN and NFL.com. The 2026 row runs through Week 8.
| Season | GP | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Rush Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 15 | 66.6 | 4,336 | 31 | 10 | 98.3 | 234 |
| 2021 | 17 | 65.9 | 5,014 | 38 | 15 | 97.7 | 302 |
| 2022 | 17 | 68.2 | 4,739 | 25 | 10 | 93.2 | 147 |
| 2023 | 13 | 65.1 | 3,134 | 20 | 7 | 93.2 | 228 |
| 2024 | 17 | 65.9 | 3,870 | 23 | 3 | 101.7 | 306 |
| 2025 | 16 | 66.4 | 3,727 | 26 | 13 | 94.1 | 498 |
| 2026 | 7 | 61.8 | 1,398 | 5 | 10 | 69.3 | 183 |
| Career | 102 | 66.2 | 26,218 | 168 | 68 | 94.8 | 1,898 |
Career totals
Per NFL.com and ESPN, through Nov. 7, 2026.
Ranks
- 3rd Completions, Chargers franchise history (2,416), behind Philip Rivers (4,908) and Dan Fouts (3,297)
- 4th Passing yards, Chargers franchise history (26,218), behind Rivers (59,271), Fouts (43,040) and John Hadl (26,938)
- 4th Passing touchdowns, Chargers franchise history (168), behind Rivers (397), Fouts (254) and Hadl (201)
Leader totals per FootballDB's Chargers career leaderboards for passing yards and completions and passing touchdowns; Herbert's totals per NFL.com, through Nov. 7, 2026.
Honors
- 2020 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
- NFL rookie record, 31 touchdown passes (2020)
- 2× Pro Bowl (2021, 2025 seasons)
- 2019 William V. Campbell Trophy
- 2019 Pac-12 champion
- Rose Bowl offensive MVP (2019 season)
- 2× Football Academic All-America of the Year (2018, 2019)
Per Chargers.com, Guinness World Records and Wikipedia, through Nov. 7, 2026.
The arguments
Talent versus results. Herbert’s admirers point to his rookie records, his 5,000-yard season and his consistent standing in peer rankings. The Chargers’ profile notes six straight appearances on the NFL Top 100 list and a No. 7 ranking in ESPN’s annual quarterback rankings. Critics point to the other ledger: three wild-card losses in three playoff trips and, per The Big Lead, more losses than any quarterback since 2020. Defenders answer with the injuries he has played through and the coaching turnover around him.
The 2025 Pro Bowl nod. Herbert’s second Pro Bowl selection drew public dissent. FS1’s Nick Wright argued that Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence deserved the spot, as Sports Illustrated reported on Dec. 24, 2025. Supporters pointed out that he had played about a week after hand surgery, had worked behind more than 20 offensive line combinations and had led a four-game winning streak that put the Chargers at 11–4. Herbert later sat out Week 18, when Trey Lance started.
Who owns 2026. The 0–7 start split observers. Some placed the blame on Herbert, whose 10 interceptions through seven games were a league high, according to the Chargers’ own review of the Rams loss. Others pointed to the offense as a whole, which the same review noted had gone nine straight quarters without reaching the end zone, and to the 23 sacks he absorbed in McDaniel’s first season as coordinator.
Why it matters
Herbert is the clearest modern example of how far individual excellence can sit from team success. His rookie record, 5,000-yard season and position among the franchise’s all-time passers place him in the line of Dan Fouts and Philip Rivers. His contract and Harbaugh’s arrival committed the Chargers to building around him. As of Nov. 7, 2026, Herbert’s Chargers had produced four winning seasons (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025), two Pro Bowls and no playoff victories. How the record reads at the end of his career will determine whether he is remembered as one of the most gifted quarterbacks of his era or as its most expensive unanswered question.
