Current:Home > reviewsChargers QB Justin Herbert one of NFL’s best leaders? Jim Harbaugh thinks so -Wealth Momentum Network
Chargers QB Justin Herbert one of NFL’s best leaders? Jim Harbaugh thinks so
View
Date:2025-04-12 00:03:11
El SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Chargers are entering a new era in every sense this year.
The Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh to be the franchise’s new head coach, they opened a brand-new team facility and have 23 new players on their roster going into Week 1. One of the constants, however, is starting quarterback Justin Herbert.
Herbert is going into his fifth NFL season with the Chargers, and it might the first time since his rookie campaign that expectations about him or the team aren't high outside of their new headquarters.
"We got the players. We just got to put our best foot forward and show what we can do," Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston said to USA TODAY Sports. "We got all the pieces that we need in this locker room. We just got to go out and show it."
The Chargers' success this season will in large part be contingent upon Herbert’s effectiveness and health.
PLAY TO WIN $5K: USA TODAY's Pro Football Survivor Pool is free to enter. Sign up now!
Herbert was placed on injured reserve and missed the final four regular-season games last year after he fractured his right index finger. The Chargers lost their final four games without Herbert and fired then-head coach Brandon Staley in the process of limping to a 5-12 finish.
In preparation for this season, Herbert was diagnosed with plantar fascia in his right foot, which caused him to miss much of training camp and all of the team’s preseason. But Herbert said he’s recovered and feeling 100% as the team gets ready for its opener against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1.
"It’s feeling much better," Herbert said. "We’re through it and we’re moving forward."
Harbaugh’s been effusive in his praise of Herbert since becoming the Chargers head coach. When Herbert returned to practice from his injury last month Harbaugh joked that he heard voices of angels.
When USA TODAY Sports asked Harbaugh on Wednesday how Herbert has evolved as a leader entering his fifth season, Harbaugh described the quarterback’s work ethic and then referred to the August elevator incident when Herbert along with multiple Chargers players and traveling staff members where stuck in an elevator.
"One of the best leaders I’ve ever been around. From day one, he’s a rock in every way. He’s the hardest worker, a tone setter, the strategist, the performer and producer," Harbaugh said. "He leads from the front. Going back to the elevator incident, it was no surprise that when 15 people got out of the elevator, who would be the last one to get off the elevator. Who let 14 other people go in front of him. He was the last guy to get off, it was Justin Herbert. Any and every way, he’s probably the best leader I’ve ever been around."
Herbert’s 17,223 career passing yards are the most ever for a quarterback in their first four seasons. In his fifth season, the Chargers are embarking on a new chapter. But he’s still the main character, and his performance and health will undoubtedly greatly influence the team’s success this season.
"I think it’s a great opportunity," Herbert said. "We know how last year went. We are well aware of where we went and how we got here. But we got to learn from it. You got to move on and attack this next year."
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
veryGood! (215)
Related
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Prince Harry accepts Pat Tillman Award for Service at ESPYs despite Tillman's mother's criticism to honor him
- NBA Summer League highlights: How Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Reed Sheppard did
- Wisconsin Republicans to open new Hispanic outreach center
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Deeply Democratic Milwaukee wrestles with hosting Trump, Republican National Convention
- Watch Biden's full news conference from last night defying calls for him to drop out
- Hungary's far right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visits Trump in Mar-a-Lago after NATO summit
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Spain's Carlos Alcaraz booed for talking Euro 2024 final after Wimbledon win in London
Ranking
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Euphoria Season 3 Finally Has a Start Date
- Georgia state tax collections finish more than $2 billion ahead of projections, buoying surplus
- Cover star. All-Star. Superstar. A'ja Wilson needs to be an even bigger household name.
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Trump asks judge to throw out conviction in New York hush money case
- Commission backs Nebraska governor’s return-to-office order
- Inside the courtroom as case dismissed against Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting of cinematographer
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Antonio Banderas and Stepdaughter Dakota Johnson's Reunion Photo Is Fifty Shades of Adorable
Jayden Daniels hopes to win, shift culture with Washington Commanders
After embrace at NATO summit, Zelenskyy takes his case for US military aid to governors
Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
2024 MLB mock draft: Latest projections for every Round 1 pick
Actor Matthew McConaughey tells governors he is still mulling future run for political office
Unlock Olivia Culpo's Summer Glow with This $3.99 Highlighter and More Budget-Friendly Beauty Gems