Justin Herbert
A quarterback with a cannon for an arm who shattered rookie records and brought a new, quiet intensity to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Born 1998 (age 28)·American football player·Birthday: March 10·Generation Z
Biography
Justin Herbert arrived in the NFL with the unassuming demeanor of a guy from Eugene, Oregon, and the physical tools of a video-game creation. At the University of Oregon, he was a hometown hero who chose to stay for his senior year, delivering a Pac-12 championship. Drafted sixth overall by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020, his career began unexpectedly when a team doctor accidentally punctured the starting quarterback's lung, thrusting Herbert into the lineup. He responded by playing with a preternatural calm, launching deep balls with staggering velocity and rewriting the NFL's rookie record book for passing touchdowns. Herbert's style is a blend of old-school toughness—he often plays through injuries—and modern efficiency, operating a complex offense with a sharp mind. While team success has been elusive, his individual performances have been breathtaking, establishing him as one of the most gifted passers of his generation and the definitive hope for a Chargers franchise in search of its first Super Bowl.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Justin was born in 1998, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Justin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1998
#1 Movie
Saving Private Ryan
Best Picture
Shakespeare in Love
#1 TV Show
Seinfeld
Justin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1998Born
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2003Started school
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2011Became a teenager
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2014Could drive
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2016Could vote
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2019Turned 21
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 28 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Set the NFL rookie record for most passing touchdowns in a season (31) in 2020.
- Won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award unanimously in 2020.
- Led the Oregon Ducks to a victory in the 2019 Pac-12 Championship Game.
- Became the fastest quarterback in NFL history to reach 15,000 career passing yards (in 51 games).
- Has thrown for over 4,000 yards in each of his first four professional seasons.
Did You Know?
He was a three-sport star in high school, also playing basketball and baseball.
He majored in general science at the University of Oregon with an interest in biology.
His grandfather, Roger, played football at the University of Oregon in the 1950s.
He is an avid birdwatcher, a hobby he shared with his late grandmother.
“I think the biggest thing is just trying to find a way to win. However that looks, that's what we're going to try to do.”
