Dolphins all but admit Chargers have much better QB in Justin Herbert

Ever since they came into the league together one pick apart in the 2020 NFL Draft, quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa have been compared to each other. Most seem to agree that the LA Chargers' quarterback is the better of the two but for various reasons, there has been some support in the Tua camp.

Led by rabid Dolphins fans and a particular analyst who loves calling Herbert a "social media quarterback", there has at least been some discourse around who the better signal-caller is. It has always felt ridiculous for Chargers fans because... well... it is.

As if Chargers fans haven't made their point enough already, the Dolphins themselves are making it beyond obvious that Tua simply isn't on the same level as Herbert. One year after Herbert signed an extension that pays him over $50 million a year, the Dolphins are scoffing at giving Tua similar money, per ESPN's Jeff Darlington.

“Right now, the Dolphins are not offering the contract that is the market value based on those other deals that were done [...] Based on my conversations, they are not in the Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence ballpark, and that to me speaks volumes about where the negotiations are right now.”

Dolphins outwardly prove the Chargers have the better quarterback in Justin Herbert

Quarterbacks are the most important players in the NFL and they get paid as such. Teams typically do not pause at all in overpaying quarterbacks, trading premium draft capital for quarterbacks or taking them far earlier in the draft than they should be taken.

The biggest example of that is Goff. Goff signed a four-year, $212 million extension with the Detroit Lions this offseason. Goff is someone who nobody in the league seemingly wanted three years ago and now he is getting paid over $50 million. A borderline top-10 guy is getting money comparable to Herbert.

So if the Dolphins don't want to pay Tua in that same ballpark considering what Goff got then it tells the entire story. Miami is not confident in Tua being the guy to lead the team in the future. He is a perfectly fine quarterback in their system, but he does not appear to be someone the team trusts to be a franchise guy.

Do you know who had absolutely no hesitations paying their star quarterback? Justin Herbert. That is why a deal got done in 2023, not 2024, despite the two quarterbacks being drafted in the same year.

This should put any ridiculous Herbert-Tua debates to bed but it won't. Whether it be Dolphins fans blinded by their support or pundits trying to make buzz-worthy claims to get more eyeballs on their work, there will be more debates around Herbert and Tua.

And just like all the debates before, they will be utterly ridiculous.