Los Angeles Chargers star Justin Herbert is widely considered to be a top 10 quarterback in the NFL and will have his first playoff test against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night.
Herbert led the Chargers to their first 10-win season since 2018. With 4,739 passing yards in the 2022 season, he became the first NFL quarterback to reach the 4,000-yard plateau in each of his first three seasons. He added 25 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions to his stat line.
Over the last couple of weeks, the former Oregon standout has made some incredible throws to his wide receivers that have made NFL pundits scratch their heads and wonder how. His backups Chase Daniel and Easton Stick both made clear in a recent interview with ESPN that what they’ve seen from Herbert – as far as his throwing – has not been “normal.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Justin Herbert, #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers, looks on in the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 26, 2022, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
“The throws he makes are not normal,” Daniel said. “I’ve been a lot of places, seen a lot of things, and I’m here to tell you: That stuff ain’t normal.”
Herbert, even as he enters a world of NFL stardom that he might never even have dreamed about and is out in front in shampoo commercials, is lovingly chided by his teammates for his modesty. ESPN noted how Herbert speaks in “we” and not “I.” One teammate went as far as to say that Herbert even turned down the game ball, routinely given to a player who stands out in a particular game.
“He’s like, ‘No. No. No.’ We’ve told him, ‘Justin, you’ve got to stop being so modest.’ He’s like, ‘No, man.’ If told him, ‘Man, I can’t believe that sidearm throw you made against Indy,’ and he said, ‘It was only possible because you guys stopped them on defense,’” Chargers defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko told the outlet.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) sets to pass in the first quarter during a game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on January 8, 2023, in Denver, Colorado.
(Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHARGERS’ BRANDON STALEY EXPLAINS PLAYING STARTERS WITH PLAYOFF SPOT LOCKED IN: ‘THESE AREN’T EASY DECISIONS’
“He’s just too nice, and he doesn’t like being in the spotlight. He’s the same with us as with everyone else. What you see is what he gives us. It’s not a show or a façade. He’s a humble, silent killer with great hair.”
The good-guy persona came up last year as well, when Gabe Nabers shed some light on the quarterback’s biggest pet peeves.
“The first time we went shopping, I was like, ‘Eh, I’ll leave it right here,'” Nabers recalled in an interview with ESPN in 2021, referring to a shopping cart. “And he said, ‘No. Take it all the way back.'”
Herbert backed the story up, saying: “I like things neat.”
“Things have a place, and they should be put back where they come from.”
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) speaks to media during a press conference after the game against the Los Angeles Rams on January 1, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA.
(Kiyoshi Mio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Herbert said at the time that he liked that people didn’t really know too much about him.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“I wish I knew people on the Giants roster that could explain what Eli Manning was all about — how he acted in the huddle,” he said. “I bet when he stepped onto the field, he had control of the offense. Because he had to. And maybe he is soft-spoken off the football field, and maybe he doesn’t love all the attention, but I don’t think loving the attention and needing it is a requirement to be a good football player.”
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
