Chargers pay Justin Herbert $262.5 million, now the pressure's really on - ESPN

COSTA MESA, Calif. — One by one, Los Angeles Chargers players, and even owner Dean Spanos, drove past a small contingent of reporters and cameras to enter a gated parking lot at the team headquarters to report for the season Tuesday morning.

But not quarterback Justin Herbert.

In a sleek, dark sports car, Herbert stopped well short of the gate to flip a U-turn. The fourth-year quarterback opted instead to park elsewhere and enter the building as discreetly as possible, where no outsiders were waiting.

It's typical Herbert fashion to duck the spotlight as he attempts to remain under the radar, blending in with his teammates.

However, after agreeing to a five-year extension worth $262.5 million later in the afternoon, it's nearly certain Herbert won't be able to escape the attention much longer.

Now the highest-paid player in NFL history, surpassing quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson, who signed $255 and $260 million extensions earlier this offseason, respectively, all eyes will be on Herbert. He must prove after a record payday that he can turn eye-popping statistics into a significant playoff run and lead a stacked Chargers roster to a Super Bowl.

«If I know one thing, our players, front office, coaches, we believe in him 100%,» general manager Tom Telesco said at the end of last season.

From the outset of the negotiating process, which began shortly after the 2022 season ended with a wild-card loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chargers have expressed confidence that Herbert possesses the abilities to earn a massive deal.

«He's a perfectionist and how much he does in preparation for his job,» Telesco said. «What I've been around, all the great quarterbacks have that, as far as what they do in the building to