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.
