David Hookstead
Videos by OutKick
Peyton Manning’s former teammate Ryan Harris made a very bold claim about Justin Herbert.
Harris and Manning were teammates when the legendary passer brought the Denver Broncos a Super Bowl, but that doesn’t make the two-time champion a better QB than the Chargers star passer in his mind.
“I’ve played with Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, and I’m telling you, Justin Herbert is the best quarterback I’ve ever seen,” Harris explained during an appearance on CBS Sports Radio.
There are bold claims, there are hot takes and then there’s takes as scorching hot as the surface of the sun. This one falls firmly into the third category.
Now, that’s not to say Herbert isn’t a great quarterback with a bright future. He most certainly is, but claiming he’s better than Manning right now is outrageous.
Let’s take a quick dive into the stats. Manning won two Super Bowls, was the league MVP five times, threw for 71,940 yards and scored 539 touchdowns through the air. That’s why he’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Justin Herbert was the offensive rookie of the year, has been to a single Pro Bowl, thrown for 9,350 yards and 69 touchdowns through two seasons.
Unbelievably respectable and impressive stats. However, Justin Herbert has a very long way to go before he catches Peyton Manning.
In fact, he has more than a decade to go, multiple rings and multiple MVP awards to win if the Chargers QB wants to catch Manning.
So, until he does it, people should relax with the comparisons.
“Manning won two Super Bowls”
I’d say Manning won one Super Bowl and was present on the field when the Denver Broncos defense won the second Super Bowl