Kyler Murray apparently nearly cost Chargers' Justin Herbert a lot of money

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was nearly short-changed because of Arizona Cardinals star Kyler Murray.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) during organized team practice at the Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe on May 28, 2025. | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

During the summer of 2023, the Los Angeles Chargers agreed to a massive contract extension with quarterback Justin Herbert, handing him a five-year, $262.5 million deal featuring $218 in guaranteed money.

But apparently, the Chargers were trying to use another NFL quarterback to squeeze Herbert out of some cash.

After the Arizona Cardinals gave Kyler Murray his lucrative extension during the summer of 2022, a five-year, $230.5 million pact, text messages between Chargers owner Dean Spanos and Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill have surfaced showing Spanos congratulating Bidwill on the contract and saying how the deal "helps us" in terms of Herbert.

Why? Because Murray's deal contained only $160 million in guarantees, and Spanos felt Los Angeles could potentially use that as a baseline for cutting some guarantees for Herbert.

Obviously, that did not end up happening, as Herbert landed quite a bit of security with his extension, but the fact that Spanos may have been angling to sell the former No. 6 overall pick short is not a good look for the organization.

This type of thing probably happens more often than not, but when it becomes actual public knowledge, hairs get raised.

Nevertheless, both signal-callers were paid pretty handsomely, and some might argue that neither of them have lived up to their lofty deals thus far.

Heck, Herbert was recently called the most overpaid player on the Chargers' roster, and that came after a 2024 campaign in which he threw for 23 touchdowns and just three interceptions while posting a 101.1 passer rating.

We'll see if Herbert can silence his critics in 2025.

May 27, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws the ball during organized team activities at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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