Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has certainly been compared to his fair share of signal-callers over the years.
When looking at QBs of the past, Peyton Manning's name has been thrown around quite a bit, as both are tall with strong arms and an imposing presence in the pocket. And while we haven't yet taken a deep dive into Herbert's numbers through his first six seasons as compared to Manning's, we can tell you that when we looked at the stats of each through five years, they were eerily similar.
Currently, Herbert is compared to other bigger guys like Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, and Jared Goff. And as it always goes, he's been compared to the class of QBs with whom he was drafted back in 2020, those being Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love, and Jalen Hurts.
But now, a new debate has emerged, and it's not really one that's been discussed all that much, with the other QB involved being 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears. And just to make things a little more entertaining, the debate began because of Emmy Award-winning actor Sterling K. Brown.
Sterling K. Brown says Justin Herbert is the "better quarterback" over Caleb Williams
Brown made a recent appearance on ESPN's Get Up (his current show, Paradise, is on Disney-owned Hulu, so you know they're required to cross-promote), and as it turns out, he's a big Chargers fan. But his former co-star on This Is Us, Justin Hartley, is a Bears fan, as the viewing audience was informed by Mike Greenberg.
As such, Brown was asked whether he'd rather have Herbert or Williams as his quarterback, and he naturally sided with his favorite team, giving this response:
"Herbert is a beast," Brown said. "We haven't had the offensive protection that he needs in order to show just how amazing he is. Once we're able to protect him, he's going to show the world how awesome he is. I think I have the better quarterback. I'm not hating on Caleb. Caleb's a beast."
And there you have it, folks.
It really is an interesting debate. Again, though, it's just not one that's really ever come up. Williams certainly isn't the imposing presence that Herbert is at 6-foot-1, but there's certainly no doubt that he's got a cannon for a right arm. Just ask the Green Bay Packers how strong it is after that ridiculous game-winning toss in overtime back in December that sailed 55-60 yards through the air and landed on a dime in the arms of D.J. Moore.
And like Herbert, Williams doesn't run all that often, but he will when necessary, and he gets the job done. The two actually had similar stats in that regard this past year, as Herbert rushed 83 times during the regular season for 498 yards, while Williams went for 388 yards on 77 attempts.
Williams still struggles with his accuracy, as he completed just 58.1 percent of his passes this past season, while Herbert sits with a career mark of 66.5 percent, never dropping below the 65 mark. That said, through, Williams did throw for more yards, more touchdowns, and fewer interceptions. But as Brown pointed out, Herbert had a dreadful offensive line and didn't have nearly as much protection as Williams did in Chicago.
Overall, Herbert still has the edge in our book, but Williams is certainly a star on the rise. And while the Chargers and Bears aren't scheduled to meet again until the 2027 season, we definitely wouldn't be opposed to seeing these two go at it at SoFi in February in Super Bowl 61.