Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz and Head Coach Jim Harbaugh held their year-end press conference Wednesday afternoon in El Segundo.

Here are five takeaways from Hortiz and Harbaugh.

1. Faith in Justin Herbert

Justin Herbert was brought up early and often Wednesday afternoon.

And Harbaugh and Hortiz made it clear they had no interest entertaining any criticism leveled at the Bolts franchise quarterback.

"There's nobody in this entire organization who gives more blood, sweat and tears and contributes more, produces more for the organization than Justin Herbert," Harbaugh said.

Hortiz added: "I have not been around a quarterback like him. The work ethic, the determination, the leadership. It's awesome to see. He lifts others up and we want to bring more people around him to lift up."

Herbert, of course, is coming off perhaps the worst game of his career Saturday when he threw four interceptions in a playoff loss in Houston.

But Harbaugh and Hortiz each shouldered blame or deflected any critique aimed at the 26-year-old.

"Completely unfair. I wouldn't spend two more seconds thinking about what happened in that game. It didn't go good, and that's on me, that's my responsibility, that's my accountability," Harbaugh said. "I really felt going into that tournament that we were as good as the best teams in the playoffs. Not just as good as any team, as good as the best teams in the playoffs.

"That day, we were not the better team that day. That's my responsibility," Harbaugh added. "We did not play complimentary football well enough, my responsibility. We weren't our best when our best was needed, again my responsibility."

Hortiz said a goal going forward will be to continue building up the Bolts around their star quarterback.

"I think with Justin and all the players, we want to support Justin the best we can," Hortiz said. "That's adding, building around him. You can support him in so many ways and to help him, you can help him with defense, you can help him with offense, offensive line, weapons, everything.

"That's how I view it," Hortiz added. "Let's make everyone around Justin better and Justin is going to keep getting better himself."

Hortiz also made it a point to bring up how there is a long list of quarterbacks who needed a few seasons to find success in the playoffs.

"I hear the narrative and all that but there's a lot of great quarterbacks in this league that may not have had the ideal start to their playoff career," Hortiz said. "Peyton Manning was 0-3 his first five years, Lamar Jackson it was 0-2.

"If we're going to set a narrative on Justin off of two playoff games, that's absurd," Hortiz continued. "What I watched this guy do, he's phenomenal. Competitor, leader, playmaker.

"They're going to roll me out of here before they roll him out of here, I can promise you that," Hortiz added. "He's special and special things are ahead for him. Book it."

Herbert threw for 3,870 yards with 23 touchdowns and just three interceptions this season while posting a career-bets passer rating of 101.7.

Herbert's TD:INT ratio of 7.7 ranks eight all-time among quarterbacks who threw at least 15 touchdown passes in a season.

Herbert also ranked third among all quarterbacks in Pro Football Focus overall grade in 2024 at 91.2.

Harbaugh pulled out his own unique analogy to describe Herbert,

"He's a complete stud, stalwart. Research what that means, it's tough, loyal, strong," Harbaugh said. "He's the opposite of a house plant. He is field corn.

"Just like field corn, doesn't need to be talked to in a certain way, doesn't need conditions to be perfect, sunlight, shade, water content, soil content," Harbaugh added. "Field corn, it'll borough down for any energy that it can find and it will rise up and start producing. That's Justin Herbert. So no, I do not need to have any conversations."

Put another way, there's nobody else the Chargers wants than Herbert leading the squad going forward.

2. A look at Mack & Bosa

All eyes will be on a pair of the Chargers biggest names this offseason.

First, Khalil Mack is slated to be a free agent and said Sunday that he is considering retirement after Year 11.

Hortiz and Harbaugh both said Wednesday that their preference is that the future Hall of Famer is wearing powder blue next season.

"I love Khalil. I know Coach and I talked about it. I've texted him that we're going to get together and talk, Khalil and I," Hortiz said.

"These guys were special. They love football, and we love football, and we love guys who love football. That's what this group was, and Khalil was right at the forefront of it," Hortiz added. "Such a special competitor, leader, person. It's rare to get a guy of Khalil's ability and get the person that he brings with it. He is a special, special person to be around. I feel blessed to have been around him and I hope we can continue to be around him."

Harbaugh quipped that he fell in line behind Derwin James, Jr. in trying to recruit Mack back to the Bolts.

"Nobody more than Khalil Mack," Harbaugh said. "Add me to that group, and Joe."

Mack, who will turn 34 years old in February, has 107.5 career sacks after notching 6.0 sacks this season. His sack total ranks fifth among active players who suited up in 2024.

Joey Bosa is also in a unique spot this offseason.

The longtime Charger is still under contract but is slated to have a sizable cap hit for the 2025 season.

Hortiz on Wednesday explained the process about evaluating all players on the roster this offseason.

"Those are the things we're discussing right now. we're engaged in conversations with guys on the roster and the impending free agents, which is a number of them, so we're talking with all of them," Hortiz said. "We'll continue to discuss that among our staff and come up with a game plan."

3. Hortiz ready to roll in Year 2

Hortiz wore a wide smile for most of Wednesday's press conference.

For a minute, it was easy to forget that he wasn't even with the Chargers a year ago and was instead wrapping up his 26th season with the Ravens.

But almost a year in to his tenure with the Bolts, Hortiz gushed about how smooth his first 11-plus months went in Los Angeles, heaping praise on Harbaugh, Dean Spanos and others.

"Obviously, it's different being in this year than the chair I used to sit in," Hortiz said. "In terms of working with Jim, it went better than expected. I knew it was going to be great, but it was a blast.

"This organization is great. The support from Dean and John [Spanos], awesome. It went better than expected. Taking what happened on the field out of it, I think I told you guys this … when you come into the role for the first time, it helps to have a head coach whose been a head coach," Hortiz continued. "That was a tremendous benefit for me, someone who has sat in that chair and helped me as a first-time GM. The communication with Coach has been awesome all year and has led to a lot of great decisions for our organization.

"I'm really proud of that and all the support I had from all the scouts — Chad [Alexander] and Lou [Clark] on then pro side — and then all of college side," Hortiz added. "It's been awesome. I came in thinking I was prepared but I didn't know how prepared I was."

Harbaugh later jumped into the fray with a gratitude-filled soliloquy about Hortiz.

"What makes Joe special — and there's a long list in my mind — is the thing that makes coaches or players special," Harbaugh said. "He does his job from the heart. Not out of the manual, out of the book where he's how you're supposed to be and here's what you're supposed to do.

"It's instinct, it's heart, it's tremendous leadership skills. Not afraid to think out of the box but sometimes it's better to be in the box," Harbaugh added.

With the Chargers 2025 offseason about to kick into full swing, Hortiz noted that he is in a better spot now than he was a calendar year ago.

Hortiz said the Bolts front office has been evaluating college players all fall in anticipation for the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bolts currently hold the No. 22 pick.

And the pro side has dove into NFL players who could potentially become free agents this offseason.

Add it all up and Hortiz certainly has a comfort level around him heading into his first full offseason with the Chargers.

"From a GM perspective, personnel perspective, you feel like you're ahead right now. I do personally," Hortiz said.

He later added: "Go back to last year, I was still in Baltimore at this time. You definitely feel ahead and ready to hit the ground running. We'll get coaches assignments out next week and let them start attack evaluations and keep rolling through it."

4. Free agency & comp picks

Speaking of free agency, the Chargers have 30 players who are scheduled to be free agents this offseason.

The majority of those players signed with the Bolts in the spring of 2024 on 1-year deals.

"We have a lot of them," Hortiz said.

And many of those players thrived this season whether it be Poona Ford, Kristian Fulton or J.K. Dobbins.

Why is this important?

When Hortiz took over as the Chargers GM, one of the first things he strongly voiced was getting a cycle going to start flowing compensatory draft picks to the Bolts.

A quick refresher: comp picks are awarded to a team based on a formula that factors in contract size and playing time of players who leave that team in free agency. Comp picks are dished out the following draft.

So, if Player X were to sign elsewhere in free agency in March, the Chargers could get, say, a fourth or fifth-round comp pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

In short, it's a delicate balance but it's also a way for teams to get rewarded if they lose players via free agency.

Hortiz was asked about starting that cycle in his first full offseason.

"The goal is to gain comp picks every year. That is the goal," Hortiz said. "But the reality of it is some years you might not be able to do that and you have to objectively look at that and say, 'Hey, this may be a year or it may not be a year.'

He later added: "That's always the goal, to work the comp picks, but there's some years where you're not going to be afforded the opportunity."

Something to keep in mind when the New League Year (and free agency) begins on March 12.

5. Early look at the salary cap

What a difference a year makes in terms of the Chargers salary cap situation.

When Hortiz and Harbaugh arrived last year, the Chargers were in the red and had to make cost-cutting moves (Mack and Bosa restructured their contracts while Keenan Allen was traded and Mike Williams was released).

This year, the Bolts should have ample financial freedom to make some moves.

While the 2025 NFL salary cap has not officially been set yet, OverTheCap.com currently it projected to be $272.5 million. For reference, the 2024 NFL salary cap was $255.4 million.

OverTheCap.com also has the Bolts with a projected cap space of $73.1 million based on current contracts and free agents, a number that would rank as the fourth-most across the league.

But Hortiz on Wednesday cautioned about going on a spending spree, saying the Chargers will be strategic with how they allocate those resources.

"You look at it from a responsible way just like we did last year," Hortiz said. "Last year we had less money to spend but we were responsible with our spending. I think you always stay responsible with your spending on the salary cap.

"There's a lot of things to balance. In the end, if you get reckless then you always pay the piper eventually," Hortiz added. "We're going to be responsible and clinical in our approach and there's going to be a plan for it. That's how we're going to roll."

Keep in mind that any potential contract extensions — something Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater is eligible for — could also affect 2025 cap space.

"I'd say yes, we're open to having those conversations [about Slater]," Hortiz said. "We've talked through it, we're talking through it right now as a staff."