Jim Harbaugh-Justin Herbert pregame routine: Why Chargers coach pumps up QB by hitting shoulder pads

Bryan Murphy

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Jim Harbaugh-Justin Herbert pregame routine: Why Chargers coach pumps up QB by hitting shoulder pads image

There is no one in football like Jim Harbaugh. Heck, there's no one in the world quite like the Chargers head coach. 

The obscurity and uniqueness of the 60-year-old football coach is part of what makes him so appealing. He lives in an RV. He dunks himself in cold tubs fully clothed. He never fails to deliver a quote that can leave the audience fascinated or completely confused. 

Simply out, Harbaugh is a character that everyone has grown to appreciate. That passion for the game that fans saw during his four-year stint with the 49ers and his nine-year career with Michigan, and it's translated to his current role with the Chargers. 

Harbaugh left the Wolverines program after winning the 2023 national championship, taking over the vacancy left in Los Angeles following last year's midseason firing of Brandon Staley. Now, Harbaugh is at the helm of the AFC West team aiming to take the next step forward in the Justin Herbert era. 

It's taken no time for the head coach and quarterback to build a relationship — and their bond has been evident in their pregame routine. 

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Here's more to know about the pregame shoulder slaps from Harbaugh on Herbert. 

Jim Harbaugh-Justin Herbert pregame routine

Herbert and Los Angeles opened the Harbaugh era on a high note. The Chargers knocked off their AFC West rival Raiders in Week 1 by a score of 22-10. 

While the in-game action garnered plenty of highlights, the most viral moment came even before kickoff. Harbaugh made sure his quarterback was pumped up and ready for some contact in the most Harbaugh way possible — smacking the hell of Herbert's chest and back. 

Herbert clearly was taken off guard by the exchange. What he believed to be a simple embrace quickly turned physical, as Harbaugh double checked to make sure the shoulder and chest pads were working for his star quarterback. 

"I just wasn’t ready for it," Herbert said after Week 1. "I thought it was a moment to like, 'Hey, let’s go get this.' Dap up. But he hit me a couple times, and I thought that was it, and then he kept going back for more. I’ll be much better the next time.

"... He took it light on me. He could have hit me harder. I’ll ask him next time, like, 'Hey, you got to make sure I feel some of those punches.'"

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So in Week 2, Herbert was ready for Harbaugh's unique pregame routine, staying put as the head coach got his playful punches in. The same applied to Week 3, with the two taking part in the new tradition yet again. 

It's worked so far for the Chargers. Los Angeles picked up wins in Week 1 and 2 over the Raiders and Panthers, but he dropped the Week 3 contest against the Steelers. 

Herbert, Harbaugh, and the rest of the Chargers contingent get their first of two cracks at Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Week 4. 

Bryan Murphy

Bryan Murphy Photo

Bryan Murphy joined The Sporting News in 2022 as the NHL/Canada content producer. Previously he worked for NBC Sports on their national news desk reporting on breaking news for the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL, in addition to covering the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games. A graduate of Quinnipiac University, he spent time in college as a beat reporter covering the men’s ice hockey team.