Justin Herbert: No Timeline for Chargers Contract After Jackson, Hurts Deals

Los Angeles Chargers star Justin Herbert isn't in a rush to sign an extension after the quarterback market was once again reset Thursday.

The 2021 Pro Bowler said he doesn't have a firm timeline on when he expects to have an agreement with the Chargers in place. He added he's maintaining a level of distance in the negotiations, per ESPN's Lindsey Thiry:

"I'm kind of left out of those negotiations, and I think my job now, my focus is to be the best quarterback that I can be and to rehab my shoulder. I've got complete faith in the Chargers organization and the front office. They've done such a great job of taking care of us as players, and I've loved to be a part of this team, being a part of this organization, and it's kind of beyond my control of as to what happens now. I'm just doing everything I can that I can control."

Jalen Hurts set the going rate for an elite quarterback when he signed a five-year, $255 million extension with the Philadelphia Eagles. He became the NFL's highest-paid player ever and secured $179.4 million in guarantees.

Then Lamar Jackson did him one better. ESPN's Jamison Hensley reported Jackson agreed to a five-year contract worth $260 million to stay with the Baltimore Ravens. Not only did the 2019 MVP get a higher average salary than Hurts, but he also eclipsed the guarantees ($185 million).

Now, fans are waiting to see whether Herbert or Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow, who's also eligible for an extension, can go even higher than that.

Watching Hurts and Jackson get their paydays illustrated exactly why Herbert and Burrow may have both wanted to see how the market evolved. Being the first guy to jump into the pool had some disadvantages, as seen with Hurts' record lasting a little over a week.

Because of how valuable he is to the franchise, you'd expect the Chargers to work something out with Herbert. Thanks to Jackson, both sides have an even better idea of the magic number to strike a deal.