NEWSLETTER
The Los Angeles Chargers made the no-brainer move of exercising quarterback Justin Herbert’s fifth-year option this evening.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings picked up the fifth-year options of Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson earlier this week. We also learned that the Washington Commanders will not exercise the fifth-year option on edge rusher Chase Young.
The 49ers and Falcons also picked up the fifth-year options of wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and cornerback A.J. Terrell this evening, per Ian Rapoport.
As with Joe Burrow and the Bengals, Los Angeles picking up Justin Herbert’s option is just a formality. The Chargers have already opened extension discussions with Herbert this offseason, and it’s only a matter of time before the deal gets done.
“I’m confident that Justin Herbert is going to be our quarterback for a long time and that we’ll make sure that we get a deal done,” Brandon Staley said in March.
Herbert, 25, led the Chargers to the playoffs in 2022. He passed Andrew Luck for the most passing yards in a quarterback’s first three seasons. Herbert has thrown for 14,089 passing yards and 94 touchdowns with only 35 interceptions.
With Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts’ extensions done in each of the last two weeks, Herbert and fellow 2020 draftee Joe Burrow are next in line for significant raises. Hurts signed a five-year extension worth $255 million ($179 million guaranteed) last week. Yesterday, Jackson signed his new five-year, $260 million ($185 million guaranteed) contract before the draft started.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is also due for a raise after winning another Super Bowl this season, so the big bucks being thrown at quarterbacks aren’t over any time soon. With their new deals, Hurts and Jackson became the highest-paid players in NFL history. So I wouldn’t expect anything different for Herbert, Burrow, and eventually Mahomes.
