Chargers News: Expert Projects Higher Payday For Justin Herbert Than Rival QB's

LA's fourth-year signal-caller is about to get a whole lot richer.

Oct 17, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) takes the snap in the first half against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Is fourth-year Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert one of the two best quarterbacks in NFL history?

Of course not. But, if one expert is to be believed, he's set to paid like it very soon.

Herbert, 25, has been eligible for an extension of his rookie scale contract since January, the official start of his fourth pro season. Since being selected with the sixth pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of the University of Oregon, the 6'6" Rose Bowl champ made an instant impact at the next level. He was named the league's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 and quickly became a first-time Pro Bowler in only his second season in the league.

Though he had a bit of a regression in 2022 statistically (due at least in part to the fractured rib cartilage he incurred in September and subsequently played through all year), Herbert did manage to lead the Bolts back to the postseason for the first time in four seasons, where they were ousted during Wildcard Weekend.

But the LA signal-caller still possesses the physical tools to be one of the top young talents at the position for the next decade, and Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network believes new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, formerly with the Dallas Cowboys, will be able to help Herbert get his groove back in 2023.

Robinson projects that Herbert may not earn quite as lucrative a new deal as a fellow 2020 draftee, Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow. To be fair, Burrow has already appeared in a Super Bowl. 

That said, Robinson believes Herbert could earn more than two other exciting young quarterbacks who were just recently inked to contract extensions of their own: Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. Hurts is signed to a five-year deal worth up to $255 million with incentives. $179 million of that agreement is guaranteed. Jackson, the 2019 league MVP, just inked his own five-year extension, worth up to an NFL-record $260 million, including $185 million in guaranteed money.

Robinson is confident that Herbert and Burrow will eclipse that record very soon. We shall see.