Mark Vlasic

Justin Herbert's lobbing 5,000-yard seasons and MVP chatter make Mark Vlasic's 762 career yards look like a pickup game gone wrong—Herbert's the bolt upright prototype, while Vlasic's '88-'90 stint was six starts, a knee blowout, and a 47.5 rating that screams "spot starter," not savior. Legacy? Herbert's etching Chargers immortality; Vlasic's a quirky footnote.

Nah, Mark Vlasic's not in Canton—his 762 yards and four TDs over four seasons won't get him past the sniff test for gold jacket glory. Hall's for Fouts and Rivers types who redefined franchises; Vlasic's the guy who handed off more than he hurled, a brief '90 starter before fading to trivia night fodder.

As of 2026, Mark Vlasic's off the grid—no broadcasting gigs, no charity headlines, no business ventures popping in searches. The ex-Iowa Hawkeye, last seen starting all of '90 for the Chargers before a quiet exit, seems content in retirement obscurity, probably tailgating somewhere in Pennsylvania without the spotlight chasing him.

Vlasic's quick-release arm from Iowa might snag a few third-down dinks under today's pass-happy rules—no more steel-cage defenses—but his 47.5 rating and five picks in 142 tries scream backup forever. Modern game's a cannon; he'd be that veteran clipboard sage, not slinging 40 airs like Herbert, thriving maybe as a poor man's Geno Smith.

Dan Fouts aired it out for 47,000 yards and an Air Coryell revolution with that 86.5 career rating; Vlasic's measly 8.3 mark over spot duty feels like comparing a Ferrari to a rented Pinto. Both Chargers QBs, sure, but Fouts was the gunslinger poet—Vlasic, just the pickup guy who ran for minus-1 yards total.