Chargers star Justin Herbert's tax bill on $52.5M salary is potentially astronomical

Nobody is going to cry for a millionaire like Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, but his 2025 tax bill could be insane.

Herbert is currently on a massive $262.5 million contract with the Chargers, which was signed in 2023. In 2025, Herbert is on the books for a whopping $52.5 million before taxes.

But, with taxes in the state of California, Herbert potentially won't be banking anywhere near that amount. In fact, he's expected to land less than half, pending some of the many factors that go into a tax bill such as area of residence, etc.

According to ML Football on X, Herbert could be on the hook for $28.28 million in taxes this year between state and federal, which means his net income will fall to about $24.22 million.

Quick math: Herbert could take home about 46% of his actual salary. Here's a look at the breakdown of taxes Herbert has to pay.

Federal Income Tax: $19.45M
State Income Tax: $6.96M
FICA: $1.24M
California SDI Tax: $0.63M
Total Taxes: $28.28M
Net Income: $24.22M

For the record, if Herbert is upset by this (we're sure he is), we would gladly trade states and bank accounts with him. Don't hesitate to reach out, Justin.

Drafted with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, Herbert has become one of the better young quarterbacks in the NFL.

He exploded onto the scene in his rookie campign and went on to have two very productive seasons in the years that followed.

The Chargers and Herbert took a step back in 2023 but posted a better-than-expected showing in 2024, when the team went 11-6 and made the playoffs despite many expecting a rebuilding year.

Now, Herbert and the Chargers will look to build on that in the second year under head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has turned things around in Los Angeles much quicker than expected.