Justin Herbert has proven time and time again that he is one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL yet the LA Chargers' signal-caller gets disrespected at every turn.
Herbert earned every penny of his large contract, which is par for the course for top-tier quarterbacks. However, some think Herbert isn't worth the money, and is outwardly the worst contract on the entire team.
No, were not joking.
Lou Scataglia of NFL Spin Zone recently broke down the worst contract for every team in the NFL and circled Herbert and his $52.5 million-per-year deal as the worst for the Bolts. Lou is a friend of Bolt Beat, but man, we couldn't disagree with this take any more than we do.
"Before you roll your eyes at me, you have to hear me out - Justin Herbert is paid like an elite QB, but besides the shiny regular season stats, what does Herbert bring?" Scataglia wrote. "The Los Angeles Chargers have gotten blown out in both appearances in the postseason during the Herbert era thus far, and it just seems like there is a clear and distinct ceiling with this franchise having Justin Herbert as their franchise QB."
Justin Herbert picked apart for totally reasonable Chargers contract
Scataglia went on to write that Herbert isn't particularly close to being an elite quarterback and that his lofty price tag is a byproduct of the inflated quarterback market. He is right about that, quarterbacks get paid far more than any other position as a mediocre quarterback can make top-tier money.
That is so clearly not the case with Herbert and using his playoff record against him is completely unfair. Has Herbert been bad in those two playoff games? Absolutely. We are the first ones to point that out. But to use that as the basis for saying he is not elite? C'mon now.
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Anyone who has watched the Chargers closely knows the pretty dreadful supporting casts the team has given Herbert throughout the years. Whether it be bad offensive line play, bad receivers, or the worst defense in the league, the team has never quite put it together around Herbert.
The Chargers have been relevant because of Herbert. This is the guy who won 11 games last season with Quentin Johnston as his second-best receiver. Will Dissly of all people, was fourth on the team in receiving yards. That is how bad it was.
There are objectively worse quarterbacks who are making more than Herbert, too. Brock Purdy, Jared Goff, Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love all make more than Herbert. Some fans would debate their quarterbacks are better than Herbert (like Lawrence or Love) but at the very worst, they are in the same tier.
And just imagine if Herbert had the kind of help Purdy, Goff and Tua have had. All three of those quarterbacks have had offensive geniuses as their play-callers with top-tier weapons. Herbert had to deal with a defensive wizard who wasn't very good on defense and four different offensive coordinators in his five years.
Herbert's contract isn't the worst on the Chargers, it's the best. The Bolts found their franchise quarterback, and despite what the naysayers say, he is good enough to lead this team to the Super Bowl. Let's not forget he is still only 27 years old, after all.