Lamar Jackson is not the highest-paid NFL quarterback anymore
The Los Angeles Chargers inked quarterback Justin Herbert to a multi-year contract extension on Tuesday, July 25, right before training camp, making the youngster the highest-paid quarterback in the history of the NFL on a yearly basis.
The Chargers announced the deal on their official channels after the news started to pop up all around the internet, setting it all in stone.
This deal, while expected to reset the QB market after Jalen Hurts (first) and Lamar Jackson (later) did it earlier this offseason, is still a historic one. Herbert is now the richest man in football considering his upcoming yearly earnings to come.
According to information obtained by The Athletic, Herbert has signed a five-year deal for a total of $262.5 million. A humongous $218 million of that sum is guaranteed, making it the second-highest guaranteed amount in the NFL, only trailing Deshaun Watson's $230 million deal.
Herbert, 25, follows Hurts as the second quarterback of the highly-rated 2020 class to receive a contract extension this offseason. The Eagles and the Chargers have surely found a couple of gems, and there's no possible arguing against that.
This deal tops Lamar Jackson's extension with the Ravens, itself a ridiculous five-year, $260 million deal inked earlier this offseason. Herbert will earn an average annual value of $52.5 million, and with added incentives, he stands to earn up to $53 million annually.
Jackson earned his deal by way of getting named MVP of the 2019 NFL season. Herbert got him without having done more than pushing the Chargers back to the postseason... only to lose miserably to the Jacksonville Jaguars of all franchises.
You be the judge about whether or not Herbert merited a bigger deal than Jackson. Not that the Ravens care, now that they will enjoy deploying a former MVP on a weekly basis for the next five seasons.