The Cincinnati Bengals got a friendly visit from a quarterback who was probably not all that friendly to them when he played in the NFL from 1998-2015. Former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning stopped by Paycor Stadium this week to film an episode of “Peyton’s Places,” his ESPN+ documentary series.
And, as expected, Manning was effusive in his praise of Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow.
“He’s an incredible quarterback,” Manning said of Burrow. “He’s just fun to watch play. He’s exciting when the ball is in his hands. The game is never over.”
Luckily for Bengals’ fans, they don’t need Manning to extol the virtues of Burrow in order to know just how good he is. But, it’s always nice to have reassurance from an all-time great.
“The list goes on and on with all the good things the way he plays it,” Manning said. “He studies it. He’s a great athlete, but he appreciates the cerebral part of the game. He’s a drop-back quarterback first, and when things aren’t going well, he can break out and make things happen with his legs. He can do it all. Like I said, the game’s never over.”
Burrow worked with Manning on Netflix documentary
Manning was already working with him on Season 2 of the Netflix documentary Quarterback, which takes a look at the position through Burrow, Detroit Lions‘ QB Jared Goff and Atlanta Falcons‘ (for now) QB Kirk Cousins during last season. It is scheduled to be released in July.
Burrow said previously that he might have been averse to doing the documentary if Manning wasn’t involved.
“He’s going to protect me, protect our team, protect our organization,” Burrow said. “I have trust in him for saying that and trust that he’s going to do that. I probably wouldn’t have done it if he wasn’t involved, but I have a lot of trust and faith in him to not do anything that would hurt me or the team.”
Manning is excited to work with Burrow on “Peyton’s Places”
Burrow very well could have won the NFL MVP in 2024 if his team had fared better in the standings. That award went to a well-deserving Buffalo Bills‘ quarterback named Josh Allen. He threw for 3,731 yards, 28 touchdowns and only six interceptions last season, to go with 531 rushing yards and a whopping 12 touchdowns. But, his team won 13 regular-season games, while Burrow notched just nine (through no fault of his own). Burrow threw for 4,918 yards, 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions, but managed just 201 yards and a pair of TDs on the ground.
But, it sounds like Burrow may have gotten Manning’s vote and he’s thankful for giving him access.
“We appreciate him letting us do it, letting us kind of go behind the ropes and sort of capture how he goes about his business,” Manning said. “He’s going to come across as the cool guy that he is.
“There’s a trust factor. I know the season didn’t go the way they all wanted it to go. And Joe probably has an MVP-type season if they get in the playoffs and make a few more stops. He was a great teammate all season, and the competitor that he is, so I’m glad that he did it. It’s a great keepsake for him to have the rest of his life.”
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