I fully agree (as it’s self-evident and I’m not a complete buffoon all of the time) that there is a weight gain (penalty) to carrier ops; what with the beefier undercarriage, smaller stock of drop tanks and need for a stronger airframe (especially the keel) but I would not agree with all of those comparisons

What about another way? If the USAF could only have one fastjet and the USN only one fastjet. What choice then?

F4 or A4 or F8?
F15 or F16?
F14 or F18?

certainly:

F-4 and F-14. the F-14 variant, bombcat, was no slouch in air to ground.
between the F-15 and 16, that is harder, but I’m leaning towards the 15.