He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, where he won the 2019 Pac-12 Championship, and was selected by the Chargers as the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

He remained the starter for the rest of the season and set several rookie statistical records, including the most touchdown passes and 300-yard games.

Herbert was born in Eugene, Oregon, on March 10, 1998, and attended Sheldon High School, where he played football, basketball, and baseball.

[16] Herbert returned to help the Ducks win their last two regular season games to become bowl eligible.

[17] The Ducks were selected to play the Boise State Broncos in the Las Vegas Bowl but their performance fell flat and the Ducks lost 38–28 after Taggart left the team to become the head coach at Florida State a week before their bowl game.

[26] Despite projecting as a high draft pick,[27] Herbert announced that he would return to Oregon for his senior season.

[28] He led the Ducks to a 12–2 record, including a win in the Rose Bowl where he ran for three touchdowns and was named Offensive MVP.

[49] On July 25, 2020, Herbert signed his four-year rookie contract, worth a fully guaranteed $26.6 million.

[52] On September 20, 2020, Herbert made his first NFL start in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, replacing Taylor, who was ruled inactive after the team's doctor accidentally punctured his lung.

[55] During Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Herbert completed 20 passes out of 25 attempts for 290 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception as the Chargers lost 38–31.

[57][58] In Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, Herbert threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns during the 30–27 overtime loss.

[60] Herbert was named Offensive Rookie of the Month after throwing 10 touchdowns to one interception in three starts with 901 passing yards and a 122.2 passer rating.

[69] Herbert helped lead the Chargers to a 4–1 start, including a Week 3 30–24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

[75] In Week 15, playing against the Chiefs, Herbert surpassed Andrew Luck's record for the most passing yards in an NFL quarterback's first two seasons.

[77] In a Week 18 win or tie or go home situation against the Las Vegas Raiders, Herbert threw for 383 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in the 35–32 overtime loss, eliminating the Chargers from the playoffs.

[84] In Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Herbert threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns for the second consecutive game.

[90] In his first playoff game, Herbert passed for 273 yards and a touchdown as the Chargers fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars 31–30 in the Wild Card Round.

At the time of the signing, the deal made Herbert the highest-paid player in NFL history (surpassing the previous record set by Lamar Jackson just months earlier) and the highest-paid NFL quarterback based on average annual value at $52.5 million per season.

In Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, Herbert suffered a broken index finger on his throwing hand in the second quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.

[100] Herbert entered his fifth NFL season with his third different head coach, as Brandon Staley was replaced by Jim Harbaugh.

[102] In Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans, Herbert passed David Carr for the most completions by a quarterback in their first five seasons.

[103] From Weeks 2 to 14, Herbert recorded 357 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the fifth-longest such streak in NFL history.

[107] Herbert's 23:3 TD–INT ratio (7.67) ranks eighth all-time in NFL history among quarterbacks with at least 15 touchdown passes in a season.