Quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco has had another busy offseason. The NFL Draft, free agency, and most importantly navigating the salary cap to keep the roster intact for another playoff run. Telesco and his staff have done a masterful job of creating salary cap space for the 2023 season.
They capped off a successful offseason with an announcement this week of a contract extension with star quarterback Justin Herbert. The five-year contract for a total of $262.50 million will keep Herbert locked up with the Chargers through the 2029 season. Herbert, who grew up a fan of the Chargers, was elated to sign a long-term agreement with the Chargers.
"First off, I'm so thankful to the Chargers organization, the Spanos Family," Herbert said. "Tom Telesco for believing in me three years ago. Words aren't enough to express how thankful and how glad I am to be part of this organization. I had complete faith in them from the get-go. I've never wanted to be anywhere else. This is where I've wanted to be for, shoot, as long as I've been born and playing football. It's a dream come true. I'm just really excited to be back out there with the team today."
The Chargers hired Kellen Moore as their new offensive coordinator in the offseason. Moore was the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys the past four seasons. The Cowboys had a top five offense in 2022, but Moore wanted a new challenge, and the Cowboys allowed him to leave. Pro Football Focus has Moore rated as the second-best offensive coordinator in the NFL in 2023.
Moore should be able to open up the Charger offense in 2023 and get some big plays from his talented quarterback. The Chargers were too conservative in their passing attack last season, in part due to key injuries to their starting wide receivers, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. The Chargers needed a big play wide receiver on offense and think they may have found him in first round draft pick Quentin Johnston.
The 6-foot-3 rookie wideout from TCU has impressed his teammates in mini-camp and in training camp. "He's been incredible," Herbert said. "He's a playmaker and he's going to be a star. He's picked up the offense really quickly. He's fast. He has a huge catch radius. I'm really looking forward to throwing him the ball."
Three-time Pro Bowl safety Derwin James has also been impressed. "Big, fast, athletic and a lot of confidence," James said. "He's going to be a great player for us."
The Chargers should return to the playoffs if they stay relatively healthy. This is an important season for head coach Brandon Staley and his Chargers team. The Kansas City Chiefs have won seven consecutive AFC West division titles. The Chargers have enough talent to win the AFC West in 2023 and need to take the next step up to end the Chiefs reign over the AFC West.
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