Now in his seventh season with the Los Angeles Chargers, quarterback Justin Herbert has been sacked 231 times, with 61 interceptions and 37 fumbles. On the surface, these kinds of numbers invite criticism of the quarterback himself. But for Breiden Fehoko, a nose tackle who played alongside Herbert from 2020 to 2022, the numbers point to an offensive line that’s been thin for years.
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On his podcast, The Breiden Fehoko Show, the former Chargers’ NT went after the front office, which he believes is responsible for Herbert’s low performance this season.
“Jesus Christ. Like, I hope the Spanos family watches this because this is the type of s–t that your quarterback has to deal with and go through. People like this, and you guys just sit here and watch it happen every year,” Fehoko said on his show on Thursday. “John Spanos, Dean Spanos, Ed McGuire, I’m talking directly to you guys. [General manager] Joe Hortiz, your a-s should have been canned two years ago. It’s ridiculous.”
Although Fehoko’s timeline of GM Joe Hortiz getting fired two years ago doesn’t add up – given that Hortiz was hired in January 2024, just a week after head coach Jim Harbaugh – the former nose tackle clearly feels the Chargers organization as a whole isn’t working.
This is something Fehoko has been vocal about for quite some time now. Recently, the 29-year-old even called for a complete “clean house” of the franchise.
Writing on his X @BreidenFehoko, “Imagine for 3 years all I’ve told is the truth. But fandom gets in the way, and people think it’s rage baiting. This organization stinks; they need to clean house. Sometimes you might have to shut the f–k up and listen to the guy who’s actually been in that building every day.”
Fehoko’s frustration is based on how the Chargers have been performing this season. In Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, Herbert completed 17 of 27 passes for just 209 yards and was sacked three times, and the Chargers’ offense couldn’t crack 300 total yards against a team that went 3-14 last season.
After a 26-14 defeat against the Cardinals, the Chargers continued their losing streak against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2. Herbert went 15 of 27 for 192 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the 26-14 loss. The Chargers fumbled the ball six times in the game, with Herbert responsible for three of them.
“That’s not good enough and can’t expect to win games like that when we’re playing like that,” Herbert said after the game. “If we’re not playing up to our standard, that’s on us to fix it.”
While Fehoko clearly supports Herbert, the same cannot be said for his feelings toward the head coach or the rest of the organization.
The former nose tackle has called Harbaugh a “fraud” and labeled the Chargers “the Cleveland Browns with better PR, with better makeup.” In his view, the franchise has failed miserably to surround its star quarterback with the right weapons to lead the team to victory.