As great as Justin Herbert has been in his young career, he has a long way to go until he can dethrone Philip Rivers as the greatest quarterback in Chargers history. Rivers is one of the game's greatest all-time quarterbacks, even if he does not get the proper recognition that he deserves.
Rivers did not have the same team success as some of the other all-time greats in the league and he also played during arguably the most talented quarterback era of all time. Rivers went up against the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and later in his career, Patrick Mahomes.
Chargers fans know how great Rivers truly was and his peers certainly do as well. Fans need to look no further than Tom Brady for confirmation, as the greatest quarterback of all time recently went out of his way to sing Rivers' praises during an appearance on "The Herd".
This is at least the third time in memory Tom Brady has mentioned Philip Rivers in quarterback smarts. Respect pic.twitter.com/FYcuk4NoO0
— Nick Wright (@isnickwright) May 27, 2024
Tom Brady mentions Philip Rivers as one of the game's all-time bests
To be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Manning, Brees and John Elway is massive praise for a quarterback. These are quarterbacks who Rivers never gets mentioned in the same class in large part due to his situation with a Chargers franchise that did not give him as many resources as those quarterbacks had.
It is also important to note who Brady does not mention in this breath. Rivers' peers, Eli Manning and Big Ben, are not mentioned at all. For many, Rivers is viewed as the least successful of those 2004 quarterbacks but for those who know ball, he should be considered the best.
Nobody knows ball more than Brady, who rightfully shouts out Rivers over Big Ben and Eli. If Rivers had the same teams (and defenses) that those two quarterbacks had then he also would be a two-time Super Bowl champion.
Because time is a flat circle, Chargers fans are once again fighting a similar battle when it comes to Herbert. Herbert is undoubtedly one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league but has had the deck stacked against him in every way imaginable throughout his young career. For that reason, Herbert only has one playoff game without a playoff win.
But heading into 2024, Herbert has something that Rivers probably never had: an elite head coach. Hopefully, that can turn the tide in Herbert's career and help him avoid the blatant disrespect that Rivers continues to get well after his playing days.
At least the greatest quarterback of all time can recognize Rivers' game. If Brady is going out of his way to praise Rivers, so should the rest of the NFL world.