Justin Herbert more than proved that he is a franchise quarterback and one of the best in the entire sport over the first three years of his career. That is why the LA Chargers were comfortable handing him a historic contract extension before the start of his fourth training camp in the NFL.
While Herbert's individual stats have been great and he has had countless highlights, the team success has not been there. Herbert has made the playoffs once in three years and is yet to win a playoff game. For the most part, the team's struggles are for reasons completely unrelated to Herbert. But as his teammates have admitted, he had room to grow as a leader under center.
One of those teammates was Austin Ekeler, who previously explained how Herbert could grow as a leader and be similar to Philip Rivers. It looks like Herbert has made that growth, as Ekeler recently heaped massive praise on his young quarterback after the team's first week-and-a-half of training camp.
young herbo growing up right before our eyes pic.twitter.com/LKi8pK6JxD
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 4, 2023
Chargers fans are hyped after Austin Ekeler heaps praise on Justin Herbert
It is really easy to heap praise on Justin Herbert and this is not a new thing. It isn't like Herbert is a young quarterback that is on the brink of breaking through to the next tier. He is already one of the best quarterbacks in the sport and belongs in the elite conversation.
That is why the fact that he is still growing this much when there is not much room to grow, is tantalizing. Herbert has already been this great in his career. Just imagine if he takes the kind of leaps that Ekeler is alluding to in this press conference.
All in all, the stars are aligning for a truly monstrous season for Herbert. Herbert has a new play-caller that is taking advantage of the entire field and is going to let his star quarterback sling it. He has an offensive line that is arguably the best the team has had since the mid-2000s. He has the best wide receiver room in the sport. And he apparently has grown to a point where his teammates are taking notice.
Unlike last year, Herbert is not going to be dealing with two separate injuries to slow him down, either. 2023 is going to be a special season for Justin Herbert and it very well could catapult him into the MVP discussions.