What the Chargers can learn from the Chiefs and Eagles

About that Justin Herbert extension...

After Patrick Mahomes' 3rd starting season and first Super Bowl title in 2020, Brett Veach and the Chiefs inked him to a 12-year, $450 million mega extension.

At some point, his contract will probably be slightly reworked here or there. But look at the cap hits right now and in future seasons. In 2023, Mahomes is projected to have the third-highest quarterback cap hit at $46.8 million behind Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson.

But by 2026, Mahomes would have the seventh-highest cap hit amongst current quarterback contracts. That's before Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Herbert potentially get paid this offseason.

Essentially, it's pretty simple for the Chargers. Give Justin Herbert as long of a deal as he's willing to accept with as much long-term money invested into the contract as possible. Well, that's easy for me to say since I'm not paying his salary. But a deal like what the Chiefs did with Mahomes just makes too much sense for the team to try and not replicate.

And the Chargers should also learn to not wait too long to extend in general. The price has gone up on a quarterback like Lamar Jackson given the signal callers that have gotten extended in the timespan that he and Baltimore have not reached a deal.

The more long-term and high (current) AAV of the contract the Chargers give Herbert, the more they'll appreciate in the long run like the Chiefs.