Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley is expecting backup quarterback Easton Stick to prove his worth after Justin Herbert was ruled out for the season, describing the 28-year-old as a winner.
The Chargers will play the rest of the season without their franchise quarterback after Herbert underwent surgery to repair a fracture to his right index finger on Tuesday.
Herbert sustained the injury during the first half of the Chargers' 24-7 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, with Stick coming in to throw 13-of-24 for 179 yards but no touchdowns.
Stick had only played two snaps in five seasons in the NFL before replacing Herbert, who has started 62 of the team's 63 games since being drafted sixth overall in 2020.
He will suit up for the 5-8 Chargers when they go on the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, and Staley is backing his team to adapt.
"When you lose any player of that calibre, it's tough," Staley said on Tuesday. "But that's why you have a team, to be able to support that position and put a good plan together moving forward.
"One of the reasons why I was so excited to team up with [offensive coordinator] Kellen [Moore] was the work that he did with Cooper Rush. Dak Prescott went down and the Cowboys went on a really good run with Rush as their backup quarterback.
"The way that they had to play with Rush was different than the way that they were playing with Dak, but that's what you have to do, you have to make adjustments.
"Then, the rest of your team has to come alive and you have to play the game the way that it needs to be played in order to win. That's what we're going to try and do on Thursday."
Staley took plenty of positives from Stick's first meaningful taste of NFL action, adding: "I thought that there was a lot to build off from that last game.
"I think the way he played in that second half does give us confidence going into this game. He is a winner. You look at his track record at North Dakota State, all he has ever done is win.
"He knows how to run a team, lead a team. He has been great for our team since I've been here. We're excited for him.
"He's a commander out there. People believe in him because of how hard he works. Since I've been here, him and Justin have set a very high bar for everybody else, in terms of how to work.
"I think he has gotten better every single year and I think that his team-mates have seen that. He has improved every year as a quarterback. Now, he gets to show what he can do."
Herbert finishes his season with a 93.2 QB rating – the same as he registered in 2022 – but his average passing yards per game dropped from 278.8 – the third-best in the NFL last season – to 241.1, putting him 13th.
Buccaneers, Antoine Winfield Jr. agree to four-year, $84M deal
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed safety Antoine Winfield Jr. to a four-year, $84.1million contract extension, Winfield’s agent announced Monday.
The contract makes Winfield the NFL’s highest-paid defensive back and the first safety to ever hold that distinction.
Winfield’s contract includes $45m in guaranteed money. He had been scheduled to make about $17m next season under the franchise tag.
Winfield’s agent David Mulugheta posted the news on social media with a screen capture of the moment he informed Winfield that the deal was done.
"Couldn't be happier to make this call and let Antoine know he just made HISTORY! The first time that a safety is the highest-paid defensive back in the NFL," Mulugheta wrote.
"In a year where the value of safeties has been questioned, the Buccaneer Organization, the Glazer Family and GM Jason Licht have stepped up and taken care of one of their most valuable family members.
"Congratulations Antoine, you have accomplished something that has never been done before. You will forever be etched in history as the first. I appreciate your trust and cannot wait to see you back on the field."
Winfield, 25, is the son of retired defensive back Antoine Winfield Sr. and was drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round in 2020.
The 2023 All-Pro has become one of the best and most versatile defensive backs in the league and is coming off his best season.
In 17 games last season, Winfield set career bests with six sacks, three interceptions, 12 pass deflections, six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Winfield is the latest key contributor to be signed to an extension by the Buccaneers this offseason. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David all signed deals this spring to remain with Tampa Bay.
Detroit Lions QB Goff agrees to $212M extension
The Detroit Lions and quarterback Jared Goff have agreed to a four-year, $212 million extension that will make him the NFL's second-highest-paid player, multiple outlets reported Monday.
According to NFL.com, Goff's new deal will begin in 2025 and includes an option for the 2028 season. The Associated Press reports that the three-time Pro Bowler will receive $170 million in guaranteed money.
Goff's average annual value of $53 million per year during the extension is surpassed only by Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow for the highest in the NFL. Burrow will earn $55 million per year on a five-year, $275 million extension that begins this season.
The Lions have now locked up three core offensive players from a team that reached the 2023 NFC Championship game this offseason. Detroit previously signed top wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to a four-year, $120 million extension and All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell to a four-year, $112 million deal last month.
Goff was entering the final season of a four-year, $134 million contract he signed with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. The Lions acquired the 29-year-old from the Rams in March 2021 as part of the blockbuster trade that sent long-time Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles.
The trade has worked out very well for both teams. While the Rams won a Super Bowl in Stafford's first season, the Lions have gone 21-13 with Goff at quarterback over the past two years and reached the play-offs for the first time since 2016 after going 12-5 and winning the NFC's North Division in 2023.
Detroit then recorded post-season wins over the Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to earn the franchise's first appearance in the conference title game since 1991.
Goff's 4,575 passing yards in 2023 ranked second in the NFL and his 30 touchdown passes were the fourth-highest total in the league. Over his three seasons in Detroit, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick has compiled 12,258 passing yards with 78 touchdown passes and just 27 interceptions for a passer rating of 96.5.
Prior to his arrival with the Lions, Goff spent his first five seasons with the Rams. The best of those campaigns came in 2018, when he set career highs in passing yards (4,688) and touchdown passes (32) while leading the Rams to an appearance in Super Bowl LIII.
Buccaneers, Antoine Winfield Jr. agree to 4-year, $84M deal
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed safety Antoine Winfield Jr. to a four-year, $84.1million contract extension, Winfield’s agent announced Monday.
The contract makes Winfield the NFL’s highest-paid defensive back and the first safety to ever hold that distinction.
Winfield’s contract includes $45million in guaranteed money.
Winfield had been scheduled to make about $17million next season under the franchise tag.
Winfield’s agent, David Mulugheta posted the news on social media with a screen capture of the moment he informed Winfield that the deal was done.
“Couldn't be happier to make this call and let @antoinewinfieldjr know he just made HISTORY! The first time that a safety is the highest paid defensive back in the NFL. In a year where the value of safeties has been questioned, the Buccaneer Organization, the Glazer Family and GM Jason Licht have stepped up and taken care of one of their most valuable family members,” Mulugheta wrote in the post.
“Congratulations Antoine, you have accomplished something that has never been done before. You will forever be etched in history as the first. I appreciate your trust and cannot wait to see you back on the field.”
Winfield, 25, is the son of retired defensive back Antoine Winfield Sr. and was drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round in 2020.
The 2023 All-Pro has become one of the best and most versatile defensive backs in the league and is coming off his best season.
In 17 games last season, Winfield set career bests with six sacks, three interceptions, 12 pass deflections, six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Winfield is the latest key contributor to be signed to an extension by the Buccaneers this offseason. Quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David all signed deals this spring to remain with Tampa Bay.
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