On the surface, Justin Herbert's 2025 season didn't match his previous ones in terms of gaudy stats.
The Chargers quarterback threw for 3,727 yards, the fewest amount for a season where he played at least 15 games. Herbert also threw 26 touchdowns to go along with 13 interceptions, with the latter stat being the most of his career.
But he also led the Chargers to 11 wins and playoff appearance while dealing with devastating injuries all around him, not to mention his own fractured left hand that he played through for the final month-plus of the season.
And if you really watched the games and were aware of the circumstances, it would't be a stretch to think that Herbert belonged in the MVP conversation for the 2025 season.
Sam Monson certainly thought so, and even went as far to cast the single vote for the Bolts franchise QB in the MVP race. Matthew Stafford won the Associated Press NFL MVP with 24 first-place votes to narrowly edge out Drake Maye, who had 23 first-place submissions.
Chargers.com caught up with Monson on Thursday at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
"Simply, I thought Justin Herbert was the most valuable player in the NFL. The AP does their votes, I think we vote on eight or nine awards. MVP is the only one with 'value' in the description," Monson said. "It's the only one with 'value' in the instructions. You know, vote for the player with the most valuable season. And that's obviously a very difficult to quantify, a very amorphous kind of topic.
"But look, the man had an offensive line that [struggled at times] ... the receiving court didn't necessarily help him out," Monson added. "And yet every single week, Justin Herbert's out there making miracles happen, doing amazing things in the pocket, finding plays and being the only reason they're even in these games, let alone winning them. I think he was the most valuable player in the NFL last year."
The Chargers quarterback was sacked 54 times in 2025, the second-highest total in the league, and also faced a league-high 263 pressures.
Monson, formerly of Pro Football Focus who now hosts the Check the Mic podcast with Steve Palazzolo, also added that Herbert's growth as a quarterback and a leader were on full display in 2025.
"A lot of people look at Justin Herbert and they sort of go, 'This guy gets talked about in a way he hasn't necessarily deserved in the past.' And it's more theory than it is practice," Monson said. "I thought was the first year where you looked at him and [from] start to finish ... I thought you saw the fully-formed version of Justin Herbert, even with the lack of help around him every single week.
"Without question, he was out there looking like one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL," Monson added.
But when the MVP award was announced on February 5, the football world was abuzz because Stafford edged out Maye by one vote.
Josh Allen received two votes while Monson was obviously the only one of the 50 voters to select Herbert.
As a result, Monson was flooded with criticism on social media, even as he went out of his way to explain why he voted for Herbert.
"I knew I would be out on an island. I expected to be a minority," Monson said. "I think the reason it was such a big deal is because when they put out the votes and it's 24 for Stafford and 23 for Drake Maye — and then there's one Justin Herbert vote out there — immediately people leap to, 'That's the vote. That's the one that kept Drake Maye from winning MVP.'
"Turns out it isn't. If you look mathematically, it didn't make that much of a difference, particularly because I had Stafford No. 2 in my ballot anyway," Monson added. "So even if you delete the Justin Herbert pick, it doesn't change anything. But yeah, I think the fact that it looked like it was one vote keeping Drake Maye away from being MVP was why it became such a big deal."
The ironic thing in all of this?
There's a very good chance Herbert could be in the MVP discussion for the 2026 season if things go according to plan for the Chargers.
The Bolts are getting Pro Bowl tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt back into the fold, and still have a plethora of weapons around Herbert, including wide receivers Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston, plus second-year players in running back Omarion Hampton and tight end Oronde Gadsden.
Oh yeah, the Chargers also crushed it with their hire of Mike McDaniel as the new Offensive Coordinator, a move that has NFL pundits — including Monson — fired up for potential fireworks with the duo of McDaniel and Herbert.
If Herbert plays at the same elite level in 2026, and can get more help around him, it could be perhaps the best season of his career.
"I really like it. I think Mike McDaniel's a very good offensive mind. I think it's a good system for [Herbert]," Monson said. "Obviously, the offensive line needs to be upgraded. A huge part of that will be just getting people back healthy. You've got potentially a pair of All-Pro tackles coming back into the lineup, which will help usually.
"And then free agency and the draft to add to the interior as well," Monson added. "I think next year could be something special for Herbert."
