Justin Herbert Contract Extension

It’s official, the Chargers have signed their star quarterback, Justin Herbert, to a massive extension that will keep him in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future. Once again, another quarterback has reset the market with their latest contract. Let's break it down.

Terms of the Deal

Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension that will keep him under contract through the 2029 season. This deal includes a $16,128,376 signing bonus, $218,738,376 guaranteed and an AAV (average annual value) of $52.5 million, which makes him the highest-paid quarterback in the league. At signing, $133.7 million was fully guaranteed, and $193.7 million is fully guaranteed for injury. 

Bonus Structure

There are four different bonuses built into this new contract: a $16.1 million signing bonus, a $50.6 million second-year option bonus, a $45 million third-year option bonus and a total of $15 million in roster bonuses in 2028 and 2029. The signing bonus and options bonuses were fully guaranteed at signing, and all will prorate over the course of five seasons. 

Annual Incentives

Every Conference Championship win: $1.25 million

Every Super Bowl win: $1.25 million

Extra Notes

2026 P5 Salary ($24 million) fully guarantees March 2025 (injury guaranteed at signing)

2027 P5 Salary ($36 million) fully guarantees March 2026 (injury guaranteed at signing)

$25 million of Herbert's 2028 P5 Salary fully guarantees March 2027 (injury guarantees 2026)

Full No Trade Clause

Contract Table

Final Thoughts

The cap hits in this contract aren't too outlandish, especially when taking into account the jump that the cap is supposed to take in the coming years. However, a new deal will likely be strung up potentially before the 2027 season as a $58.34 million cap hit will probably need to be changed, and I can guarantee that Herbert will not have a $71 million cap hit in 2028. 

As yet another quarterback resets the market, it will be interesting to see the deal that Joe Burrow signs, considering he's stated multiple times he wants to do a deal that works for everybody.