Despite everything he did at Oregon, despite the NFL’s 17,000 passing yards and 114 touchdown throws and all the records ever set as a Charger, Justin Herbert never stood out more on a football field.
Draped in a gold jersey while everyone else is dressed in blue or white, Herbert literally resembles a one-man team during the Chargers’ offseason program.
“He didn’t want that,” coach Jim Harbaugh said Tuesday. “He didn’t do that. And I understand that. I understood that. As a defender, he didn’t like wearing a different color jersey than anyone else on the team.”
But Harbaugh insisted that Herbert go for the gold as a reminder to others to give him space — Harbaugh called it “a halo” — as a means of protecting the franchise’s most significant asset.
While it’s standard for teams to dress their quarterbacks in brighter jerseys as a precaution, the difference this spring is that Herbert is typically the only one in an alternate color.
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“[It’s] two yards to all defenders,” Harbaugh said, using his hands to illustrate a wall surrounding the player. “But the guy wearing the gold jersey, let’s do 2½ or three.”
Maximizing Herbert means first maximizing your health, something the chargers has struggled for the past two seasons as rib, shoulder and finger injuries have affected his play.
Herbert has missed the last four games in 2023 because of a fractured right index finger., a break that required surgery and officially unbalanced a season that was already heading nowhere.
The team’s reset from 5-12 included the addition of Harbaugh, who came in praising Herbert and has continued to praise his quarterback as the two learn more about each other.
With the Chargers opening their mandatory three-day minicamp in Costa Mesa, Harbaugh, asked what excites him most about Herbert, responded: “That would be a long list.”
The head coach then talked about Herbert’s passing, his understanding of blitz protection, and his ability to quickly pick up another new offensive system. Then Harbaugh mentioned a conditioning test that Herbert “crushed” last week.
“Just when you think he can’t climb another rung on the ladder of my esteem, he finds another,” Harbaugh said. “What I mean to say, [he] crushed him, as if he was in front of people trying to keep up with him.
An ironic moment came next, when Harbaugh noted the discovery that he said was No. 1 for him: Herbert’s insistence on — despite his gold status — not purposefully standing out.
“The top of the list would be the way he elevates his teammates,” Harbaugh said. “He lifts them up, kind of makes himself smaller and them bigger, as opposed to a guy who pushes people down and, you know, ‘Look at me.’ ”
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Harbaugh has worked with other talented quarterbacks during his coaching days, including the likes of Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick and, last season, first-round draft pick JJ McCarthy.
Herbert, however, appears to be on a different level, with Harbaugh calling him “a football expert” and “a smart, insightful person.” Harbaugh said Herbert is bigger than he looks on television and throws the ball harder than appearances suggest.
Yes, Harbaugh got emotional at times, especially when discussing the athletic ability of his 6-foot-3, 236-pound quarterback.
“Really, he could play tight end here,” Harbaugh insisted. “He could play edge rusher here. And the arm talent is even better than advertised. It’s an exciting thing.
“Sometimes I find myself sitting at my desk thinking, ‘He’s on our team!’ You know it’s not just in shorts because I’ve seen him do it in 11-on-11 NFL football games.
The Chargers began the mini-camp with an hour-long practice at their facility before taking the bus about 60 minutes south to Camp Pendleton for a hike and meet-and-greet at the military base, the event drawing about 5,000 spectators.
They will hold practices on Wednesday and Thursday before taking a break before training camp. The Chargers will meet again in late July at their new training facility in El Segundo.
Most notable among the players who were not on the field for Tuesday’s practice was running back Gus Edwards. Tight ends Will Dissly and Donald Parham Jr. were among a group working with sports coaches on the side.
Led by his growing appreciation for Herbert, Harbaugh said he is pleased with his first offseason with the Chargers.
“My mood will always depend on how football training went,” he explained. “I’m in a good mood.”
This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
