Concerning Trend Continuing For Quarterback Justin Herbert

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers had their season end in the wild card round to the New England Patirots. In the aftermath, the Chargers decided to fire offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
Oct 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA;  Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) as he leaves the field following the game against the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Oct 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) as he leaves the field following the game against the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert will be on his fifth different offensive coordinator since being drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers when the 2026 NFL season kicks off. It was announced that the Chargers would be parting ways with offensive coordinator Greg Roman after Roman’s two-year stint with the team. 

It’s time for another play caller for Herbert in Los Angeles as the Chargers are set make their fifth offensive coordinator hire with Herbert at quarterback.

Chargers' Offensive Struggles in 2025

Oregon Ducks Justin Herbert Quarterback Los Angeles Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman 2020 NFL Draft Jim Harbaugh
Dec 19, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) celebrates as he leaves the field after defeating the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Chargers gave Justin Herbert a five-year, $265 million contract in 2023. While Herbert should shoulder the blame for some of the offensive struggles this season, there were clearly things around him that went wrong that were out of his control.

The biggest one this season was the injuries to the offensive line. The Chargers lost star offensive linemen Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt for the year. Herbert found himself under pressure on what felt like every drop back. He took a beating and had to play the last couple months with a broken left hand. Not ideal for you franchise quarterback. 

The Chargers defense deserves a whole lot of credit for leading this team to an 11-6 record and a playoff appearance. In then end it wasn't enough as their offense was shut down in their playoff game against the Patriots. They only had 207 total yards and put up three points in the 16-3 loss.

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5th Offensive Coordinator Incoming for Herbert 

Oregon Ducks Justin Herbert Quarterback Los Angeles Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman 2020 NFL Draft Jim Harbaugh
Aug 7, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) talks with coach Jim Harbaugh during training camp at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After a four-year career with the Oregon Ducks, Justin Herbert was selected No. 6 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. 

Herbert played for Oregon from 2016-2020, throwing for 10,541 yards and 95 touchdown passes. He also proved to be a pretty good running threat and had 560 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. 

The Ducks best season with Herbert was his fourth and final in 2019, where they won the Pac-12 Championship and the Rose Bowl. 

Since becoming a Charger, Hebert has not had the most stability. After six years, he is on his third different head coach. Additionally, when the 2026 season kicks off it will be his fifth different offensive coordinator in seven years: Shane Steichen, Joe Lombardi, Kellen Moore, Greg Roman, and whoever the new one will be. 

At Oregon, Herbert had multiple offensive coordinators as well in Marcus Arroyo and Matt Lubick.

Greg Roman Fired

Oregon Ducks Justin Herbert Quarterback Los Angeles Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman 2020 NFL Draft Jim Harbaugh
Jul 21, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman at training camp at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Greg Roman was hired as the Chargers offensive coordinator by Jim Harbaugh got the Chargers head coaching job in 2024. Roman had been on Harbaugh’s staff back with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014. In between the time with the 49ers and Chargers, Roman was primarily with the Baltimore Ravens under Jim’s brother, John Harbaugh’s coaching staff. 

The Chargers offense never had the consistency that they hoped in Roman’s tenure. In both seasons, they hovered around the middle of the pack when it came to points scored per game; 11th in 2024 with 22.9 and 20th in 2025 with 21.6. 

In the playoffs, it was even worse. They scored 12 and then 3 points in their two wild card playoff losses under Roman. 


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Cory Pappas
CORY PAPPAS

Cory Pappas is sports writer for USC Trojans On SI and Oregon Ducks On SI. Since starting in March of 2024, he has been writing breaking news stories, game previews, game recaps, and more across College Sports, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympics for Total Apex Sports. In addition to writing, Cory is also a sports data scout for Sportradar. He covers live sporting events ranging from college athletics to semi-pro and professional. Before joining the industry, Cory graduated from the University of Oregon in 2022. He ran track for Oregon's club Track and Field team. Before Oregon, he played varsity basketball and track and field in high school in Walnut Creek, CA. Cory is using his lifelong passion for sports and writing together.

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