Chargers News: Justin Herbert Emerging As Top NFL Star, Despite Zero Playoff Success

The star QB's ascent in LA is paying dividends for the league.

We knew Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was emerging as a fan favorite among NFL appreciators, but we didn't realize his popularity had extended to quite this level!

Per Lindsey Thiry of ESPN, sales of Herbert's officially licensed National Football League player merchandise ranks 12th overall during the 2022 season. Thiry reveals that this actually puts him ahead of any LA-based NFL pro. 

Three Los Angeles Rams -- who, you'll no doubt recall, won the whole darn Super Bowl in 2022 -- did make the top 35, albeit below Herbert: Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, the Super Bowl LVI MVP, finished 15th in merchandise sales, defensive tackle Aaron Donald's merch ranked 26th overall, and quarterback Matthew Stafford was 33rd.

Here's where Los Angeles based players stand in the top 50 officially licensed NFL player products and merchandise sold over the last year:

12 - Chargers QB Justin Herbert
15 - Rams WR Cooper Kupp
26 - Rams DT Aaron Donald
33 - Rams QB Matthew Stafford

— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) April 27, 2023

Although the Rams seem to dominate national media headlines, it's fascinating to discover that it's the upstart Herbert, over even Cooper Kupp, who last year at least was the dominant Los Angeles officially licensed swag mover of note.

Last season, the 25-year-old out of the University of Oregon passed for 4,739 yards, with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Across 17 starts (in which LA went 10-7 and qualified for Wildcard Weekend), the 6'6" signal caller logged an average of 278.8 yards per game, 9.9 yards per carry, and a Quarterback Rating of 93.2. He helped return LA to the playoffs, though the club lost its lone game in embarrassing fashion, blowing a 27-point lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars in its 2023 wildcard game.

This summer, Herbert negotiated a five-year, $262.5 million contract extension to stick with Los Angeles long-term. He's filled the NFL's coffers enough already. Now he's about to add a few more bills to his own bottom line.

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