Brandon Staley Shares How the Chargers' Offseason Was Influenced by the Anticipation of Justin Herbert's Future Contract
The Chargers hit a home run with the draft selection of quarterback Justin Hebert when they took him sixth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Herbert wasted no time getting his pro career off to a monumental start, throwing for 38 touchdowns in year one, and taking home the hardware of Offensive Rookie of the Year. He followed that up with a sophomore campaign that saw him guide the Chargers to the doorstep of the playoffs despite the team's defense not holding its weight throughout the 2021 season.
Now entering his third year in the NFL, the Chargers know exactly what they have at quarterback: a transformative passer and face of the franchise player for the foreseeable future.
Herbert now sits just one year away from being eligible to obtain a contract extension. While each rookie contract for a first-round pick comes with the premise of being a four-year deal with a fifth-year club option, a player of Herbert's stature generally receives an extension early.
Nov 21, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) runs the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Chargers coach Brandon Staley made an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show and spoke about the booming market of quarterbacks in how that influenced their offseason.
"What you want to do is you want to kind of set your roster with the anticipation of what that contract could look like, the best you can," Staley told Rich Eisen." And I think that that's what you're seeing and I think that there's gonna be a lot of creativity and how that expresses itself because I think you know, as these deals become, as these quarterbacks land these deals, I think more teams are going to understand how to maneuver."
Staley indicates that the Chargers are preparing their roster for the future years, so when the time comes to deliver a mega-contract extension to Herbert, their core pieces are able to remain in place to some extent.
The quarterback market took another steady upward climb this offseason when DeShaun Watson signed a five-year, $230 million contract, which included the entirety of the deal to be fully guaranteed.
Nov 28, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) passes the ball in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Considering the trends of the market, the price for the next quarterbacks due up for new deals, such as Herbert, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson, just received a massive bargaining chip following the Watson contract.
"I know that Justin wants to win," Staley said on the Rich Eisen Show. "I think that's the great thing about joining up with him is he wants to win, he wants to be a champion and he wants to do this for the long haul. So, I think what we're trying to do for him – the Spanos family, Tom [Telesco], myself, the coaching staff [and] everybody here – is to build a complete team around the guy so that he can be the best version of himself. I think what we've tried to do this offseason is tell Justin and our entire locker room that we're trying to be world champions."
The Chargers have identified this window that they're currently in as a time to be the aggressors. While it serves the purpose of taking advantage of the state of the team now, Staley also believes it helps them down the road in the aftermath of Herbert's future contract.
Herbert is destined to surpass the deal Watson signed last month. The biggest factor in the deal will come down to how his multi-year extension is ultimately structured.
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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Charger Report. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickCothrel for more Chargers coverage.
