Justin Herbert is one of the top-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. The LA Chargers' signal-caller deserves every penny of his $52.5 million average annual salary, which actually seems like a bargain compared to other quarterback contracts given out.
While Herbert's average annual salary is gaudy, as anyone in California knows, his actual take-home is going to be much less than that $52.5 million figure. In fact, thanks to the littany of California taxes, Herbert will actually take home less than half his average annual salary.
The exact number per year fluctuates depending on his prorated bonuses and guaranteed salary in particular seasons. If Herbert were to make exactly his $52.5 million average salary, he would end up paying over $28 million in total taxes (h/t Mike Moraitis, Chargers on SI).
Chargers' Justin Herbert will lose over $28 million of his salary to taxes
Nobody is going to bat an eye about how much a multi-millionaire athlete is taxed but it still is staggering to see just how much of Herbert's massive salary ends up going to him.
Herbert will pay the United States and California more money than the Chargers pay Khalil Mack this season. Herbert's tax bill is higher than the average annual salary for T.J. Watt, Penei Sewell, and Jalen Ramsey.
In fact, there are only 34 players in the NFL who make more per year than the amount that Herbert gets taxed by the government. Unfortunately for Herbert, not all of them have to jump through the same tax hoops he does in the state of California.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has an average annual salary of $60 million. Texas doesn't have a state income tax. California's state income tax rate alone (not counting SSID or other factors) would cost Prescott $7.38 million per year.
It often gets forgotten about but this is naturally a hurdle the Chargers have to overcome in free agency. From a monetary standpoint, the deck is stacked against the Chargers simply because of where the team is located.
Thankfully, Los Angeles is a great place to live in the winter months and Jim Harbaugh is a great head coach to play for. Those benefits help quell the monetary disadvantage, but they alone aren't always enough.