The Los Angeles Chargers let lifelong quarterback Phillip Rivers walk to the Indianapolis Colts in free agency, meaning that the best player in Chargers franchise history (per 204 Approximate Value) is on a different team for the first time in his career.
That also meant that the Chargers were able to take a big swing in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft by selecting Justin Herbert out of Oregon. The four-year senior seemed excited about the new professional opportunity, per Omar Ruiz of the NFL Network:
New #Chargers QB Justin Herbert says there’s no pressure to potentially become the face of the franchise, and headline the marquee of a new stadium, rather he said it’s “an incredible opportunity.”
— Omar Ruiz (@OmarDRuiz) April 24, 2020
Herbert was extremely productive in his final season with Ducks, as he put up 32 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions alongside 3471 passing yards on a 66.8 completion percentage.
During his four-year career with Oregon, Herbert put up some all-time numbers in the Pac-12 Conference as his team’s quarterback. All of these stats were accumulated only playing 8 games in his first two seasons with the team as well.
After four years at Oregon, Herbert will leave behind an impressive legacy in his conference having finished top-20 all-time in the Pac-12 in completions (827, 15th), completion percentage (64.0%, 15th), passing yards (10541, 15th), yards per pass attempt (8.2, 16th), passing touchdowns (95, 6th), total yards (11101, 10th) and passing efficiency rating (153.1, 9th).
While Herbert might not quite turn into the all-timer that Rivers surely will be remembered as in San Diego/Los Angeles, he will surely help to usher in a new generation to a team that has been under the stewardship of Rivers for so long.
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