Chargers pick up Justin Herbert’s fifth-year option

It’s not the contract update that we’d like to hear, but we do have an update on Justin Herbert. The Chargers have formally picked up his fifth year option.

As we’ve grown accustomed to expect, Herbert is handling media questions regarding his contract with utmost respect and professionalism. He has essentially expressed that he’s far less concerned about his contract than he is with rehabbing his shoulder and getting prepared for the next season.

If you are unsure how the fifth-year option works, there are multiple tiers to what a player earns in his fifth year, based on performance and playing time. Herbert has exceeded requirements for the lower tiers involving playing time thresholds, and having made a Pro Bowl, currently has his option valued at $29,504,000. More information on the fifth-year option can be found at Pro Football Network.

This could very well all be a moot point if Herbert’s representation secures a contract extension before then, benefitting all parties as they can lower his cap hit to keep this loaded roster as intact as possible.

An unsurprising omission from this report is word on Kenneth Murray’s status. Being that Murray would have achieved the playtime criterion, his fifth year would be valued at $12,722,000. His body of work to this point doesn’t justify that aggressive of a figure, especially after seeing Drue Tranquill and Kyzir White leave to other teams for a combined total of half that cap hit.

The race between Tom Telesco and the Bengals to secure their franchise quarterback continues. The price is only going up, Tom!