We’ve taken a couple of weeks to sit back and digest the Chargers' 2025 campaign as a whole, so why not take a step back and give out some honors in this year's edition of Los Angeles Chargers wrapped!

The Chargers' MVP: Justin Herbert

I’ve spent my fair share of this season singing the praises of QB1, and rightfully so, the Chargers' MVP could not have gone to any other player, and that’s not a shot at them, it’s a testament to how impressive the sixth-year signal caller was. Through the fire and flames, No. 10 put on weekly displays of miracle work, dragging a play caller who was destined for unemployment at the season's end and the worst pass protection in recent NFL history to an 11-win season and a respectable offense. I mean, I’ll never be able to get the video of Herbert surviving a hellish Texans pass rush on a third down, evading multiple free rushers and making an impressive off-platform throw, only for it to be dropped, in what may be the perfect representation of 2025 for Justin Herbert.

Of course, the season ended on a sour note as Herbert was unable to get the playoff monkey off of his back, but if anything I think it adds to his MVP case for the Chargers this season; an offense that didn’t have the absolute best version of Justin Herbert looked utterly lifeless with no one, coach or player, to help get him going when he didn’t have it. The Chargers were only ever going to go as far as Herbert dragged them, and this is the perfect synopsis for how valuable he is to this franchise and the 2025 Chargers.

For every award given to a player, I will be attaching their moment of the year. Now presenting Justin Herbert’s moment of the year!

The Chargers Offensive Player of the Year: Quentin Johnston

Ok, so this one was tough. Kimani Vidal was considered because of his work in relief of Omarion Hampton, Keenan Allen made a good run despite a stretch of struggles and a rough close to the show, and Ladd McConkey was a close second, but at the end of the day, this honor falls upon much-criticized former first-round pick Quentin Johnston.

The team's big play threat was one of the biggest losers when it came to the inability to protect Justin Herbert, because if the first couple of weeks were an indicator, the coaching staff was right to believe in Quentin Johnston as an asset to this offense, as he did a sensational job stretching the field, which opened the window for intermediate threats like Keenan and Ladd to have their own success.

The Q breakout was upon us until the offensive line spontaneously combusted, and the Bolts had to put a lid on their downfield passing attack to keep Herbert safe (relatively speaking). Quentin still had an impact throughout the year, leading the team in touchdowns with eight, which was good for second in the AFC as a whole as well as receiving yards per game, and also coming second in yards per target only behind Oronde Gadsden II, who also made a legit run at being named the Chargers OPOY if not for his tough stretch to close the season.

Let’s take a look at the OPOY’s moment of the year!

The Chargers Defensive Player of the Year: Tuli Tuipulotu

The Bolts' defense was a damn good unit this year, and honorable mentions are in order for All-Pro Derwin James and mid-season pick-up Odafe Oweh, but this one ends up in the hands of the team’s sack leader, Tuli Tuipulotu. Tuli was always a super-talented run defender, posting 20 total TFLs, but he took the leap this season as a pass rusher, posting a 13-sack total, just in time to cash in on a brand new contract with an extension sooner rather than later!

The USC product was a part of a trio that absolutely dominated teams down the stretch on third-and-pass, as the group of Tuli, Oweh, and Khalil Mack was Jesse Minter’s favorite toy in the second half of the season and rightfully so.

Throw the T’s Up! The DPOY’s moment of the year was absolutely schooling long-time NFL vet and pass pro specialist Kevin Zeitler.

The Chargers Rookie of the Year: Oronde Gadsden II

Possibly the easiest of the bunch outside of MVP, Oronde Gadsden II ran away with this one the moment he was given the TE job. I sang the fifth-round pick's praise at the beginning of the year for my first-ever publication on Sidelinr Sports, and it might have been my best read of the year. Gadsden became everything I could have hoped for with his athleticism from the tight end spot, and despite a couple of inopportune drops down the stretch, he is worthy of being the tight end of the future, leading the team in yards per target.

Gadsden was often phased out of game plans, something I can almost guarantee won’t happen in a Mike McDaniel offense, but that didn’t stop him from rewriting a couple of record books throughout his rookie campaign. Breaking almost every Chargers rookie tight end record, which was impressive given the franchise's historic lineage at the tight end position, and turning into a trusted target for Herbert almost instantly, Gadsden did exactly what you hope for with a rookie year, leaving us excited for year two!

As far as his moment of the year, it had to be his coming-out party against Indy!

The Most “Charger” Moment of the Year: Week 17 vs Houston

I get it, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the postseason tilt against the Patriots. But I think a lot of people forget why they were even the seven-seed traveling to the eventual AFC champions anyway!

Saturday afternoon, a standalone audience, and a chance to set up a Week 18 tilt for the AFC West crown and potentially the No. 1 seed. You blinked, and the Bolts were down 14-0. Justin Herbert was hit 50 times (this is sarcastic, although I wouldn’t blame you if you believed it), Oronde Gadsden II forgot how to catch, the run game was nonexistent, Cameron Dicker (the most accurate kicker in NFL history!) missed an extra point and a chip shot, and after all of that it took a sketchy illegal contact call to rob Justin Herbert of having a chance to complete what would have been an extremely impressive comeback. It felt like an all-timer classic Chargering that directly led to the end of the Chargers' season, even if we didn’t know it at the time.

There’s no better way to sum up how this one felt than VictionaryHD, a long-time Bolts fan content creator, and his reaction to this up and down emotionally rollercoaster.