Peyton Manning: Patrick Mahomes is the guy, the NFL QB people are chasing

If there’s another quarterback who can reach the same level as Tom Brady, it might be Patrick Mahomes. Peyton Manning had nothing but praise for the two time Super Bowl champion while speaking to reporters at the Manning Passing Academy held at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La.

At the end of the 2022 season, Brady decided to retire from the NFL “for good.” He left the league with seven Super Bowl titles and 10 appearances in the big game over the span of a 23-year career.

Manning was asked about the current state of NFL quarterbacks now that Brady is out of the picture. Like the rest of us, the Hall of Famer believes Mahomes is playing the best right now.

“I think the NFL is in really good shape at the quarterback position,” Manning said.

“I think Patrick Mahomes is — when you come off a Super Bowl and an MVP, he’s the guy, right? He’s the guy people are chasing. Unfortunately, for defenses, I don’t think Patrick is slowing down. I think he wants to be better this year than he was last year. So, if somebody wants to catch him, they’re gonna have to go catch him. He’s not coming back.”

Mahomes still has a long way to go to catch Brady. But with two Super Bowl rings and a pair of league MVP honors at 27, he’s got a chance to do something special in the NFL.

Manning weighs in on Oklahoma, Texas joining SEC

This isn’t Peyton Manning’s SEC. Beginning in 2024, Oklahoma and Texas leave the Big 12 and begin their new venture in a new league.

Manning believes the addition of two traditional programs will only help the league’s strength moving forward.

“I guess I kind of knew that it was kind of in the mix,” Manning said. “I’m biased. I think it’s the top conference and great competition and those two storied programs, I think, will only make it better and creates, I think, some interesting rivalries as well.”

With the Sooners and Longhorns joining the league, the plan is to move forward with a single-standings model. That will put the two best teams in the SEC Championship Game moving forward.

“They haven’t been (abolished) yet. But our focus, as I’ve indicated, has been consistently on the single standings model,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said. “I was told not to say single division. A single standings model has been and remains the focus.”

The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon contributed to this article.