Justin Herbert oddly targeted by former Chargers teammate

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert comes under fire often. 

That’s the nature of the quarterback position in the NFL, of course. But it’s easier to go after Herbert than most because of his more reserved nature as he stays out of the limelight and is relatively mysterious compared to other franchise passers. 

There’s also that playoff “meltdown,” which is a little exaggerated for various reasons, especially considering the state of the Chargers roster around him last offseason. 

Alas, Herbert is in the national spotlight again, this time because former teammate Kyle Van Noy made some eyebrow-raising comments about him, especially as a leader. 

"Part of me says [Herbert] needs to relax a little bit, because he cares so much," Van Noy told Fox Sports’ Eric Williams. "He’s a perfectionist. Just go out there and play ball."

When asked to expand, Van Noy offered this: 

"I do think he’s doing some things. He would go to team dinners, but I think he could also do more. And that’s just me from my year of being with him. He’s still young. And I’m sure he’s way better now than since I was there. But that was just something he could do even more."

It smacks a little strange coming from Van Noy, who spent one year (2022) with the Chargers. And vague leadership references aimed at quarterbacks are always a little tough to get a full read on, most times. 

Maybe there’s something here, but outsiders only have a limited view of these things. From an outsider’s perspective, Herbert has appeared to open up a little alongside the arrival of head coach Jim Harbaugh.

But again, that’s just speculation. Van Noy’s commentary, for better or worse, is pretty standard-fare offseason chatter about franchise quarterbacks, even if it does come from a former player and teammate.