Former Oregon star quarterback Justin Herbert reached 20,000 career passing yards on Sunday when he and the Los Angeles Chargers faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Herbert, who became the fifth-fastest quarterback to ever reach the 20,000-yard mark, was the third-youngest quarterback to ever reach the achievement.
Justin Herbert has just passed 20,000 career passing yards!
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) December 15, 2024
He's the 5th fastest and 3rd youngest QB to reach 20k. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/GvzA2VMIT4
Herbert was drafted sixth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Chargers, who have since had a change at the head coach position – recently acquiring defending NCAA Championship head coach Jim Harbaugh from Michigan.
This season, Herbert and the Chargers have seen an astonishing increase in success since Harbaugh took over the organization and currently sit at 8-6 overall, 3rd in the AFC West. So far this season, Herbert has thrown 255 completions for 2,959 passing yards and 16 touchdowns through the air, while only throwing 2 interceptions through the first 14 games of the season.
Justin Herbert NFL career stats by year
- 2020 (15 games): 396 completions, 4,336 passing yards, 31 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions
- 2021 (17 games): 443 completions, 5,014 passing yards, 38 passing touchdowns, 15 interceptions
- 2022 (17 games): 477 completions, 4,739 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, 10 interceptions
- 2023 (13 games): 297 completions, 3,134 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, 7 interceptions
- 2024 (as of 14 games): 255 completions, 2,959 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
Herbert has made a name for himself in the league despite suffering multiple injuries and being on a team that has struggled to reach the playoffs. Continuously, Herbert's dual-threat style of play has led to the Chargers making impressive offensive drives, even when the defense is struggling to stop LA's opponent.
Beyond his impressive passing stats, Herbert has also run the ball 278 times for 1,135 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
Herbert and the Chargers play against fellow Oregon Ducks quarterback Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos on Dec. 19 for their 15th game of the season.