Justin Herbert to reportedly miss rest of season following finger surgery

Last updated: 2023/12/12 at 5:32 PM

BigP Published December 12, 2023

Justin Herbert‘s 2023 season is over.

The Chargers quarterback will be sidelined for the last four games of the season after he undergoes surgery Tuesday on his fractured finger, NFL Media reported.

Herbert injured the index finger on his throwing hand in the Chargers’ Week 14 loss to the Broncos on Sunday, causing him to depart late in the first half. He didn’t return and visited hand specialists on Monday to determine the next steps.

Chargers coach Brandon Staley indicated the team wanted to make sure they were taking the right steps for the long-term future of Herbert before making any decisions on what to do next.

“There’s a lot of information that we’re gathering right now, but he’s as tough as they come. We’re gonna make sure that whatever it is, we’re going to do what’s best for Justin long term,” Staley said Monday about the franchise quarterback, who signed a $252 million, five-year extension in the offseason.

Herbert, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft, has been durable in his career, with 62 consecutive regular-season starts. He played through a broken finger on his non-throwing hand earlier this season and fractured rib cartilage last season. A broken finger on the throwing hand, though, will sideline him for good amid the Chargers’ 5-8 campaign.

The injury apparently happened while Herbert was taken down awkwardly by Denver’s Zach Allen while completing an 11-yard pass to Donald Parham. Herbert stayed in for four more plays before exiting for good.

With Herbert sidelined for the remainder of the season, Easton Stick is set to take over at quarterback for the Chargers. Stick will try to galvanize a Chargers team that’s lost four of their past five games and fallen far out of playoff contention. He’ll become just the fourth quarterback to start a game for the Chargers since 2006.

Stick, who only played two offensive snaps in his five-year career prior to Sunday, went 13-of-24 for 179 yards in Herbert’s place, as the Bolts scored on just one of their five drives in the second half while Denver pulled away.

The Chargers’ only other quarterback is seventh-round rookie Max Duggan, who has been signed to the active roster from the practice squad, his agent announced Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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