Justin Herbert has revelation about playing in first preseason game

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Justin Herbert has funny revelation about playing in first preseason game of his career

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 6:40 PM ET

Justin Herbert is preparing to play in a preseason game for the first time in his NFL career, and the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback claims he is the one who came up with the idea.

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh announced on Thursday that most of the team's starters — including Herbert — will play a series or two in Saturday night's preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. That marks a huge shift from the way the Chargers have operated both under Harbaugh and before his arrival last offseason.

Herbert is in his sixth NFL season and has never played in a preseason game. When asked on Thursday why that is about to change, the 27-year-old said he asked to play against the Rams.

Justin Herbert says it was his idea to play this week against the #Rams.

Approached Jim Harbaugh: “Hey, would it be okay if you know, I went in played.”

Says, he thought he’d play last week, but tackle shuffling changed that.
— Anthony De Leon (@imjusthustlin) August 14, 2025

There were no preseason games in Herbert's rookie season in 2020 due to the pandemic. Ex-Chargers head coach Brandon Staley then chose to play things safe with Herbert, and the former No. 6 overall pick was nursing a foot injury prior to last season.

Harbaugh has made it no secret that he is arguably the biggest Herbert fan on the planet. It is hardly a surprise that Harbaugh granted Herbert's wish for Saturday night, even if it could potentially put the QB in harm's way. Some quarterbacks feel they need preseason reps to get up to speed, and Herbert obviously wants to give it a try.

Herbert threw for 3,870 yards, 23 touchdowns and just three interceptions last season. He led the Chargers to the playoffs, where they lost to the Houston Texans in the opening round. Some have predicted great things for Herbert in his second year under Harbaugh.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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