Before signing with the Los Angeles Chargers last offseason, center Corey Linsley spent seven years anchoring the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line. During his time with the Packers, Linsley saw some of the best quarterback play in the NFL with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers as the primary gunslinger.
Linsley recently spoke with SiriusXM NFL Radio and said that he sees a lot of similarities between his old quarterback and his new one, Justin Herbert.
“Aaron has the same thing, that fire, perfectionist-type attitude. When Aaron was on, and he can’t be stopped, and you weren’t on, he was gonna let you know. Because he has that perfectionist, competitive fire inside of him. And that’s what Justin has.”
Packer-turned-Charger Corey Linsley compares Justin Herbert to Aaron Rodgers
Herbert hasn’t been perfect since entering the league in 2020, but he’s been damn close. The LA signal caller has thrown for a combined 9,350 yards and 69 touchdowns during his first two NFL seasons. He’s also completed 66.2 percent of his passes while posting a 97.2 passer rating since joining the Chargers.
For reference, Rodgers threw for a combined 8,472 yards and 58 touchdowns in his first two seasons as the full-time starter in Green Bay. He completed 64.2 percent of his passes and recorded a 98.5 passer rating during that time. The game has come a long way since 2008-’09, but it’s still impressive that Herbert was more productive in his first two years as a starter than Rodgers.
Linsley continued showering Herbert with praise in his interview, stating:
“He just has that inside of him where he’s just like, ‘I want to be the best, I want to be the best that I can be. I want my team to be the best and I’m not going to let anything stop me.’ He watches more film than I’ve ever seen, he’s in the weight room doing weighted pullups, just getting after it, man. I mean it’s 24/7, and that type of mindset speaks to the type of player he’s going to be.”
Herbert still has a ways to go before he can cement himself as a Hall of Fame quarterback, but, based on Linsley’s comments, he certainly has the mindset to be one.
