While all quarterback-needy franchises were looking for the next “it” guy to select in the 2021 NFL Draft, Los Angeles Chargers gunslinger Justin Herbert was just chilling.
Despite showing a ton of potential and legit on-field brilliance, Herbert's name rarely gets whispered in the same breath of other quarterbacks allegedly in line to be the “faces of the league” when guys like Aaron Rodgers and company grow a bit longer in the tooth.
Some of it is certainly fair. Young, dynamic gunslingers such as Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson have already arrived in an insanely brief period of time. If we're keeping it buck, those are the two guys National Football League fans are going to know for the better part of the next decade.
But, kids, let me ask you something: Of young quarterbacks in the league, who is after that? Good arguments can be made for several guys like Kyler Murray, etc. Nonetheless, I am here to tell you that Justin Herbert is that next-tier-god.
While one absolute moron of an executive is claiming Jordan Love — he who has not yet played meaningful NFL football — is better than our Chargers hero.
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft shined when he began to play regularly for Los Angeles. Justin Herbert t set rookie passing records in the following areas: total touchdowns (36), passing touchdowns (31), completions (396), 300-yard passing games (8), multi-TD passing games (10) and three-TD passing games (6).
But, hey, sure… let's pretend the ideas of all these other guys is so much better than a QB who arguably had one of the best five rookie seasons at the position in league history.
Maybe it's bias. Maybe it's because the Chargers were not yet ready to compete for a Super Bowl. A lot of it certainly has to do with how Mahomes and Jackson reset expectations for young gunslingers, leading their respective franchises deep in the playoffs (and Mahomes with a Super Bowl run) far earlier than most are accustomed to.
They are the outliers. Mahomes is already a sincere all-time great. We can't keep comparing other young guys at the position to a dude who is ALREADY up there with Tom Brady, John Elway, and the like. We can't always view this as “greatest QB of all-time or bust.”
Listen, it's hard to not get hyperbolic, especially when the talking points are heading the way of “this guy who has literally never played is better than a dude who sent a bunch of records.” The headline of this post post itself is, well, ugh… a bit hyperbolic. To be fair to me, I did near immediately note how Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are the very top tier guys at the position. So, yeah. I have that going for me here. I'm the best.
Anyway, fans and media, you've been warned ahead of time. As the Denver Broncos have an awful situation at QB, as do the Raiders year-over-year, next-up in the AFC West are the Los Angeles Chargers and Justin Herbert.
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