Justin Herbert misses voluntary workouts

Justin Herbert has not participated in the Chargers’ recent voluntary offseason workouts, The Athletic reported on May 20, with the team set to begin organized team activities next week. The report said Herbert was absent during the first two phases of Los Angeles’ offseason program. The Chargers have not announced any change to Herbert’s status on their official offseason calendar. Under NFL rules, the current portion of the program is voluntary. ### Which workouts has Herbert missed so far? The Athletic reported on May 20 that Herbert had not participated in recent voluntary offseason workouts during the first two phases of the Chargers’ program. Those phases cover the early spring portion of the team’s nine-week offseason calendar before OTAs begin. The Chargers’ official schedule says Phase One consists of the first two weeks of the program and is limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and rehabilitation work. Phase Two covers the next three weeks and allows on-field individual and group workouts. ### Are these absences mandatory sessions? The NFL said on April 3 that each club’s offseason workout program is voluntary under Article 21 of the collective bargaining agreement. (nytimes.com) The league said the nine-week program is divided into three phases before teams move into mandatory minicamp later in the spring. The Chargers’ own announcement also labels the upcoming OTAs as voluntary. (chargers.com) That means Herbert’s absence, as reported by The Athletic, came before the mandatory portion of the team’s spring schedule. ### When do the Chargers’ OTAs start? The Chargers said their voluntary OTAs will be held on May 26-27, May 29, June 2-4 and June 8-11. The team said mandatory minicamp is scheduled for June 16-18. (media.nfl.com) April 20 was the start date for the Chargers’ offseason program, according to the team’s announcement. That places Herbert’s reported non-participation in the period leading into the first OTA practices later this month. (chargers.com) ### Why did the report draw attention now? Justin Herbert is the Chargers’ starting quarterback, and quarterback attendance is often tracked closely during spring work even when sessions are voluntary. (chargers.com) The Athletic’s report highlighted his non-participation on May 20 because the team is about to shift from Phase Two into OTA practices. The report did not say that Herbert had missed mandatory work, and the NFL’s offseason rules distinguish clearly between voluntary spring workouts and mandatory minicamp. (chargers.com) ### What comes next on the Chargers’ calendar? May 26 is the next key date for the Chargers, when the team’s first voluntary OTA session is scheduled to begin. Additional OTA dates run through June 11, according to the club’s offseason release. (nytimes.com) June 16-18 is the mandatory minicamp window on the Chargers’ official calendar. That is the next required checkpoint in Los Angeles’ spring program after the voluntary OTA period. (nytimes.com) (chargers.com)