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Peyton Manning lists Bills star Josh Allen as one of NFL’s best QBs

When Peyton Manning talks about the state of the quarterback position, fans should listen.

Kyle Silagyi

Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
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Peyton Manning knows a thing or two about solid quarterback play.

He’s one of the greatest signal-callers in NFL history, a player who epitomized everything desired in the quarterback position throughout his decorated career. He currently ranks as the league's third all-time leading passer, throwing for 71,940 yards and 539 touchdowns throughout his 17 professional seasons. He won five NFL MVP Awards, two NFL Offensive Player of the Year Awards, and two Super Bowls as a professional—in layman’s terms, he was pretty good.

And that’s why his opinion regarding the position should be held in high regard—few quarterbacks in the history of the sport have experienced more personal and team success. When he speaks about passers, the public should listen.

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Manning recently spoke about the contemporary state of the quarterback position at Fanatics Fest in New York City, listing his top five signal-callers currently playing the game. He, expectedly, placed Kansas City Chiefs passer Patrick Mahomes at No. 1, a constant across essentially all meaningful quarterback rankings. He didn’t necessarily provide numerical rankings for the rest of his list, simply naming players that he believes slot in somewhere amongst the top five; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was among the players Manning named.

“Josh Allen is a total stud,” Manning said. “Total stud, total stud. Tough. I saw him this summer, he is so motivated to bring a championship to Buffalo.”

Just as Mahomes is almost universally viewed as the best quarterback in football, Allen is a near-unanimous inclusion in worthwhile top-five signal-caller rankings. The 28-year-old is a human wrecking ball, a 6-foot-5 behemoth of a man with a cannon attached to his right shoulder who isn’t opposed to running over or through opposition. If that description doesn’t illustrate a clear enough picture of his dominance, perhaps his statistics will: he’s the only player in NFL history to total over 40 touchdowns in four consecutive seasons, which has been good enough to earn him NFL MVP votes in three out of the last four campaigns.

Though Manning was quite complimentary of Allen, the Buffalo quarterback was actually the last signal-caller he listed. The other players he listed include Cincinnati Bengals franchise centerpiece Joe Burrow, Los Angeles Chargers passer Justin Herbert, and Baltimore Ravens multi-time MVP Lamar Jackson, offering significant praise about each of them.

Josh Allen Joe Burrow
JAMIE GERMANO / USA TODAY NETWORK

“Patrick Mahomes is No. 1,” Manning said. “Rankings are so hard, you get in so much trouble, you get mad about that. Names? I’m a big fan of Joe Burrow, I’m glad to see him back healthy, I like the way he carries himself. I like his demeanor out there, he doesn’t sweat, he doesn’t flinch. He’s just kind of calm and cool the whole time. This Justin Herbert is as talented as anybody. He can throw it a mile. [New head coach Jim] Harbaugh, like I said, the [Chargers] division is going to be tough. 

“Lamar Jackson does things that just don’t seem possible with the football in his hands. He makes throws, he runs, and he’s smart about, he protects himself too, right? I never could run, so I never had that problem, right? The thing we were talking about earlier, quarterbacks that like to run, you still need to find a way to get out of bounds or get down and be there on the next play, right? Defenses, if the quarterback gets hurt, they’re probably going to win that game. I love the way Lamar carries himself, I think he’ll have a great year this year.”

Manning knows a thing or two about bringing a championship to a (relatively) small and innocuous market, leading the Indianapolis Colts to glory in Super Bowl XLI. Allen will look to do the same for Buffalo and the Bills in the 2024 NFL season; the team kicks off its 2024 slate on September 8 against the Arizona Cardinals.

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Kyle Silagyi
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