Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson signed lucrative contract extensions this offseason. Their deals might lay the framework for other big-name quarterbacks eligible for extensions like Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow.
Or will it?
Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco declared that there isn’t a “blueprint” for Herbert’s imminent new deal.
“Any time there is a contract signed at that position, yeah, it’s going to come up in conversation,” Telesco said, via SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I wouldn’t say there is any quarterback contract out there that is a blueprint. I wouldn’t say that at all. But, like anything else, there’ll be contracts that’ll be talked about. We’ll cherry-pick some things out of that contract we like. The agent will cherry-pick some things out of that contract that he likes. In the end, we’ll get to a compromise at some point, something that works for everybody. That’s what we’ll do here. I don’t really have a timeframe for it, to be honest with you, but we’ll get there.”
Hurts signed a five-year, $255 million deal with $179.3 million guaranteed. Jackson inked a five-year extension worth $260 million, that included $185 million in guaranteed money.
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Chargers coach Brandon Staley expressed similar optimism about Herbert’s contract situation in March.
‘Those talks are ongoing,’ Staley said at the NFL owners meeting. ‘We all know how we feel about him. I think navigating this process, we have a very good relationship with his team. I’m confident Justin Herbert is gonna be our quarterback for a very long time, and that we’ll make sure that we get a great deal done.’
Herbert is currently signed through the 2024 season and the team granted him his fifth-year option.
The Chargers quarterback is off to a record-setting start to begin his NFL career. Herbert’s compiled 14,089 passing yards, 94 touchdowns and 35 interceptions in 49 career regular-season games. His 14,089 passing yards are the most ever by a quarterback in their first three seasons.
Hurts and Jackson’s contracts might not be a blueprint for the Chargers, but the club will certainly have to bring out the Brinks truck for their franchise quarterback that they hope will be in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.