Justin Herbert remains the head of this group for over the next 10 years (hopefully). An early season injury forced Taylor Heinicke into limited action, but Herbert was able to play through injury for the most part.
It was a successful campaign for the team that resulted in a trip back to the postseason. Herbert continued to prove himself as one of the best quarterbacks in football. The superstar has been well worth the massive extension he signed back in 2023.
We will evaluate the quarterback position to start the offseason, as we will highlight all other position groups in the coming weeks and months.
Under contract
QB Justin Herbert ($37.3M cap hit)
2025 will be the first year in which Herbert’s contract truly starts to kick in. He’s still locked in for five more years, so there’s no concern for a contract extension.
Even with Herbert’s massive cap hit, the team has plenty of cap space, so it will allow them to surround him with more talent in 2025 and beyond. The stats may not exactly reflect it, but 2024 may have been the best version that we have seen of Herbert yet.
With a rookie slot wideout as his only clear weapon, he threw for 23 touchdowns and just three interceptions in the regular season. Due to the AFC being loaded at the position, Herbert still hasn’t made the Pro Bowl since his lone appearance back in 2021.
That’s not reflective of his level of play, though, as he remains an elite-level quarterback. Expect more of the same in 2025 and perhaps even a better version of Herbert with another wideout (or two).
Pending free agents
QB Easton Stick
After four starts in 2023, Stick failed to appear in a game in 2024. In fact, he was the third-string quarterback throughout the season. His future in Los Angeles is very much up in the air now.
Stick has thrown for 1,133 yards and three touchdowns across 175 pass attempts. At this point, the former North Dakota State product isn’t more than a third-stringer in this league. That doesn’t bode well for his chances of returning to Los Angeles, as the front office can go for some higher upside backups on the market.
QB Taylor Heinicke
Since the Chargers traded for Heinicke, he has barely seen the field. The veteran appeared in four games this season, but it only resulted in four pass attempts. Between 2021 and 2023, he started 28 games, so the experience is there.
The Chargers could bring him back for next to nothing, which would be smart given his proven ability to fill in as a starter….
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