Chargers' Jim Harbaugh may have QB Justin Herbert on verge of postseason breakthrough

The Los Angeles Chargers hired head coach Jim Harbaugh in 2024 to unlock quarterback Justin Herbert's potential. He may be on the verge of doing that.

The Athletic's Mike Sando published his annual QB tiers Monday, which features opinions from 50 anonymous executives and coaches. The tiers are numbered one through five, with one being the best and five being the worst. 

Sando placed Herbert in Tier 2 and ranked him No. 7 behind Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels. The Chargers star landed in Tier 1 in 2022 and 2023. An offensive coach, however, believes Harbaugh will help the 27-year-old re-enter that conversation this season.

"[Herbert is] very smart and very competitive, but he lets the little things distract him," the coach told Sando. "He needs to forget about the little things. Jim (Harbaugh) will point that out to him and get it right. This will be a big year for him."

Herbert and Co. rebounded from a 5-12 season in their first year under Harbaugh. The Chargers went 11-6, finishing second in the AFC West behind the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Houston Texans eliminated the Chargers in the AFC wild-card round, 32-12. Herbert is 0-2 in the playoffs following the loss. 

Harbaugh is ensuring the lack of postseason success doesn't impact the QB's confidence. During a May interview with the "Rich Eisen Show," the coach praised the one-time Pro Bowler, saying it's his goal to make him a Hall of Famer.  

To achieve that, the Chargers gave him more weapons this offseason. They took Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris with pick No. 55 in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. L.A. also reunited with wideout Keenan Allen, a six-time Pro Bowler.  

Both should improve a receiving corps that features second-year WR Ladd McConkey, a budding star. The former Georgia Bulldog had the league's 10th-most receiving yards (1,149 in 16 games) last season. This should help Herbert take another step.  

"A lot of people have him as an automatic 1," an offensive coordinator told Sando. "I want him to take it. It seems like he is almost there, but he hasn't really done it."

If Herbert breaks through, he should become a Tier 1 QB, like Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. It appears Harbaugh is putting him in a position to reach the next level.