While the pecking order among the top four quarterbacks in football today is debatable, everyone generally agrees on who comprises the position’s current Mount Rushmore: Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. But I think this is the year when Justin Herbert joins that elite tier of signal-callers.
While that proclamation undoubtedly makes the naysayers cringe, the football world has been waiting for Herbert to level up after teasing us with immense talent and potential since his arrival as the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award in his debut campaign and earning Pro Bowl honors in Year 2, the Los Angeles Chargers star ultimately piled up the most passing yards in league history through the first five seasons of a career (21,093), showcasing exceptional arm talent, accuracy, touch and timing.
Standing 6-foot-6 and 236 pounds with outstanding athleticism, agility and body control, Herbert flummoxes foes with his ability to thrive from the pocket or on the move. In addition, he can produce crucial first downs on designed quarterback runs or impromptu scrambles that leave defenders bewildered on how to handle a supersized quarterback with superhero abilities.
Given Herbert’s rare talents, it is not surprising that Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh constantly waxes poetic about his proficient pupil.
“I would follow him to hell and back,” Harbaugh said during an appearance on PFT Live back in February. “I’ve never been around a competitor quite like him. Some great ones, but, you know, no doubt in my mind that Justin Herbert is not only one of the great quarterbacks in the NFL today but truly one of the great quarterbacks of all time.”
The 27-year-old owns a 42-38 career mark, averaging 267.6 passing yards per game while accumulating a 140:45 touchdown-to-interception ratio. As an efficient passer with great command of the football, Herbert has completed 66.6 percent of his passes and compiled a 97.1 passer rating through 80 career games.
While the haters will ignore Herbert’s sparkling numbers and immediately point to his playoff woes — 0-2 record, with one loss where the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead and another defeat in which Herbert threw four interceptions — a larger film study reveals a gifted player who consistently raises the level of play of those around him.
Despite losing his WR1 (Keenan Allen) and WR2 (Mike Williams) prior to last season, Herbert still excelled in Year 1 under Harbaugh. He finished with the highest passer rating (101.7) and lowest interception percentage (0.6) of his career. Moreover, he played the winning brand of football that Harbaugh demands, while flashing enough “take over the game” ability to convince his head coach that he can put the team on his back when needed.
“This is the truth: Justin Herbert’s biggest weakness is all of those that he’s counting on on offense — coaches, offensive line, playmakers, receivers, running backs — to get up to his level,” Harbaugh said during NFL Network’s Back Together Weekend in July. “I wake up every day to try to get to his level.”