Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has certainly absorbed quite a bit of criticism over the last couple of years. While Herbert is clearly a terrific pure passer, his inability to elevate his team has resulted in some questioning if he is legitimately a franchise player.
The fact that Herbert threw more interceptions (four) in the Chargers' Wild Card Round playoff loss last year than he did all of last season (three) hasn't really helped his case, either.
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But don't get it twisted: there are still plenty of people who are very optimistic about Justin Herbert's future, and that includes legendary NFL quarterback Joe Montana.
During a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Montana was asked to list off the quarterbacks in today's game that he would choose to start a franchise with, and he had Herbert ranked third...ahead of the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, who didn't even make Montana's list.
Just about everyone would disagree with Montana's assertion. Heck, most Chargers fans probably wouldn't even choose Herbert over Mahomes or Jackson at this point. But it at least displays that Herbert has some serious believers in his corner.
The 27-year-old threw for 3,870 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing 65.9 percent of his passes and posting a 101.7 passer rating in 2024, finishing ninth in MVP voting.
Herbert, who played his collegiate football at Oregon, was selected by Los Angeles with the sixth overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. He got off to a fantastic start, tallying 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns during his rookie campaign and then making the Pro Bowl in Year 2.
However, the Eugene, Or. native has only made two trips to the playoffs thus far in his career, going 0-2 in those appearances. Hence all of the criticism.
We'll see if Herbert can finally lead the Chargers to some postseason success this year.
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