Controversial Justin Herbert vs. Jayden Daniels hot take starts debate

The NFL season hasn’t even technically concluded, yet the quarterback debates have fired up in a massive way—and Los Angeles Chargers superstar Justin Herbert has been dragged into the conversation.

This time, Herbert has found himself on the strange end of some criticism that compares him to Washington Commanders breakout rookie star Jayden Daniels.

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sparked the debate by referencing a comment made on the Fox broadcast before the NFC title game: “Howie Long said on @FOXNFL1 pregame there’s 5 teams that wouldn’t trade their QB for Jayden Daniels — KC, Balt, Buff, Cinc and LAChargers. Really? Herbert?? Please.”

Herbert, of course, should easily be in the conversation with the AFC’s top passers. Major criticism right now could boil down to recency bias after he battled season-long lower-body injuries while adjusting to a new offense—an offense whose best weapon was a rookie wideout and little else.

The Chargers hit Herbert with a $262.5 million contract extension for a reason and to date, he’s completed 66.5 percent of his passes with 21,093 yards and 137 touchdowns against 45 interceptions.

As for Daniels, he just erupted onto the scene and nearly reached the Super Bowl, completing 69 percent of his passes with 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns against nine interceptions.

But these types of takes feel premature—we’ll have to wait and see how Daniels fares after NFL defenses adapt, with C.J. Stroud in Houston a recent precautionary tale about sophomore regressions for breakout quarterbacks.

Right now? The Chargers wouldn’t trade Herbert for anyone.

Howie Long said on @FOXNFL1 pregame there’s 5 teams that wouldn’t trade their QB for Jayden Daniels — KC, Balt, Buff, Cinc and LAChargers. Really? Herbert?? Please.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) January 26, 2025

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