A silent auction at a local gym has become the latest stage for a joke that’s been following Justin Herbert all season: the “meatball sub.”
A user on X, @themegacasual, posted a photo showing a graded Herbert rookie card paired with a framed 8×10 photo, with a starting bid of $250. Instead of dollar bids, commenters began offering sandwiches. The first bid was a “meatball sub,” which was topped by “2 meatball subs,” which was then outbid by “3 meatball subs.”
The joke stems from a nickname fans and players have been using all season to mock NFL quarterbacks who throw interceptions, likening a bad pass to tossing out a meatball sub.
Rams safety Quentin Lake helped popularize the line after intercepting Herbert once in the Rams’ 24-9 Week 8 win. Appearing on the “St. Brown Podcast,” Lake said of Herbert, “[He] was throwing deli meat out there.”
“[Herbert] was throwing deli meat out there.” — Quentin Lake, Rams safety
Tom Brady joined in earlier this season, accusing Herbert of “throwing a meatball sub” during the Chargers’ 24-16 loss to the Bills in Week 3. Brady has used the same line on other struggling quarterbacks, telling Packers safety Evan Williams that Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was “throwing deli meat” after Green Bay intercepted Maye three times.
Herbert and Maye are tied for the most interceptions in the league this season with 11 apiece. But Herbert has drawn the heavier mockery, largely because his team has nothing to show for it. The Chargers are 0-8 this season and rank last in the league in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game.
Last Sunday’s 44-22 loss to the Texans did snap one streak: the Chargers had gone 37 straight drives without a touchdown before finally breaking through.
Herbert and the Chargers were set to play the Ravens on “Monday Night Football,” with the quarterback apparently unable to escape sandwich jokes even on an off day.
