American football fans across the UK were left utterly astonished this week after a startling revelation emerged from the NFL: star quarterback Justin Herbert has a younger brother playing in the league.
The Shocking Family Revelation
The news broke on Friday that Patrick Herbert, a 25-year-old tight end, has joined the Jacksonville Jaguars this year as an undrafted free agent. This came as a complete surprise to many, given that his elder brother, Justin Herbert, is in his sixth season with the Los Angeles Chargers and is widely regarded as one of the league's premier passers.
The revelation sparked a wave of disbelief on social media platform X. One fan wrote, 'I learned something new today,' while another commented, 'This is some Mandela effect s***. This person didn't exist last week.' A third user quipped, 'there are people with brothers that never had brothers before,' and a fourth joked about Patrick's appearance, noting, 'With the mustache he looks like Justin Herbert's evil twin brother.'
A Shared History and an Upcoming Pro Clash
Contrary to the perception that Patrick appeared out of nowhere, the Herbert brothers were actually teammates for one season at the University of Oregon. Patrick played four seasons with the Ducks as a tight end, finishing his collegiate career with 388 receiving yards and four touchdowns across 43 games.
This weekend marks a significant family milestone, as Patrick, 25, and Justin, 27, will face off professionally for the first time when the Jaguars meet the Chargers. Patrick shared his excitement about the matchup with reporters, saying, 'It's awesome. I think we kinda take it for granted sometimes looking at him and being like, 'oh he's been in the league for 5-6 years' or whatever. I think it's a big accomplishment. That's so cool.'
Contrasting Paths in the NFL
Their professional journeys, however, are on different trajectories. The elder Herbert has continued to impress for the Chargers this season, having thrown for 19 touchdowns and 2,610 yards in just 10 games.
Patrick, meanwhile, is yet to make his official NFL debut and has been developing his skills on Jacksonville's practice squad. The highly anticipated Herbert brother showdown is scheduled to kick off at 1pm ET on Sunday.
