Justin Herbert 'earned' new contract, Chargers GM Tom Telesco says

On3 imageby:Nick Kosko04/01/23

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(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said quarterback Justin Herbert earned a new contract.

Just three years into his career, Herbert put up big numbers since the team drafted him out of Oregon. And the team broke a playoff drought this past year, making the Wild Card Round at Jacksonville.

Telesco joined Sirius XM NFL Radio to discuss Herbert’s future.

“I don’t have an update on it,” Telesco said. “There’s a lot that will go into it, obviously, with these type of contracts and the amount of numbers that it’s going to be. It’s just a good problem to have to know you have a franchise quarterback that’s now moving into a veteran franchise quarterback. There are a lot of good things that come with that. Now, the flip side is, we’ll build the team a little bit differently. We’ll transition to that in the next couple of years.

“I’m not losing a lot of sleep over it. Yeah, I know the numbers are going to be big. He’s earned it, but we think we can win a Super Bowl with him. That’s a good problem to have. We’ll get it done at some point, and then we’ll go from there.”

There’s no contract in place yet, but the Chargers’ brass seems very confident in Herbert.

Herbert’s stats dropped a little last year, but he won 10 games as a starter. He finished with 4,739 yards, 25 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 68.2% completion percentage.

In his career, he has 1,4089 yards, 94 touchdowns, 35 interceptions and a 66.9% completion percentage. Numbers like that can propel Herbert to a new contract very soon.

Herbert dealt with a labrum injury last season, but did not undergo surgery until after the season ended. It is unclear when Herbert suffered the injury.

Herbert was quite the star at Oregon, particularly in his final year which boosted his draft stock. He finished his tie with the Ducks with 10,541 yards, 95 touchdowns, 23 interceptions and a 64% completion percentage.

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As a member of the Class of 2016, Herbert was a three-star recruit out of Eugene (Ore.) Sheldon, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 5 overall prospect in the state, the No. 39 quarterback in the class and the No. 627 overall prospect in the class.