Justin Herbert has every reason to look back on his work in 2024 as a success. The Los Angeles Chargers rebounded in a big way from the previous year, leaving their 2023 5-12 record in the dust. However, while the positive development is worth celebrating, one ranking leaves the quarterback with plenty of motivation for 2025.
Writing in a quarterback ranking for Sports Illustrated, NFL analyst Matt Verderame listed Justin Herbert 12th, squarely in the tier he titled “The Class of Very Good,” including a warning for the Chargers quarterback.
“Quarterback wins may not be a stat, but the position is still judged by success. Herbert is long on talent but short on meaningful moments or significant wins,” he wrote. “Through five years, his biggest victory is arguably beating the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, in Week 3 of 2021, in a season where Los Angeles didn’t make the playoffs. … If the Chargers don’t return to the playoffs and Herbert doesn’t put up big numbers, his stock will fall.”
Listing the quarterback at 12th overall and including a warning doesn’t bode well for Herbert. However, harnessed correctly, the Chargers quarterback could use the warning as motivation to change Verderame’s tune.
Justin Herbert has the talent, but he will need to do more than a few highlight reels and regular-season stomp jobs in 2025.
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The Chargers quarterback was subjected to not one but two big hits to his offense in the final month of the offseason. Najee Harris’ eye injury was a national storyline, as was the sudden retirement of wide receiver Mike Williams.
It could be easy to use either of these twists of fate as an excuse for Herbert to throw up his hands, but the Chargers offense also still has its most important piece: Jim Harbaugh.
Remember, Harbaugh was able to get to the Super Bowl with Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback who only managed to win three games following the head coach’s departure from the San Francisco 49ers, and he’s only getting started in Los Angeles. In just one season, Harbaugh managed to more than double the Chargers’ win total.
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This year, a similar jump would leave no choice but a deep playoff run, which is right in Harbaugh’s wheelhouse. It’s what he expects to happen as a former Super Bowl coach and National Championship winner with the Michigan Wolverines.
Herbert has the talent, and he has the head coach. 2025 could be a year to remember for Herbert. If it is, he could find himself making a leapfrog up quarterback rankings across the country in short order.
The Chargers quarterback is also already trending up, turning in his best touchdown-interception ratio of his career in his first year under Harbaugh, opening the door for another jump this season. Will Justin Herbert deliver?