Peyton Manning Praise of Jalen Hurts Gets Huge Attention Ahead of 2025 Season

Look, we get it. Every other week, there’s some hot take about whether Jalen Hurts belongs in the “elite” quarterback conversation. The debates rage on sports talk radio, Twitter fingers get busy, and somehow we’re all supposed to have strong opinions about a guy who’s only been a full-time starter for a few seasons. But when Peyton Manning—you know, the guy with five MVP awards and two Super Bowl rings—starts gushing about your game, maybe it’s time to pump the brakes on the hot takes and actually listen.

When Peyton Manning Talks, People Should Listen

Here’s the thing about Manning’s recent comments on Cris Collinsworth’s Pro Football Focus podcast: they weren’t just empty praise from one quarterback to another. This was a masterclass in recognizing genuine talent, delivered by someone who knows a thing or two about reading defenses and managing games.

“He can run guys over, he can throw it a mile, but his appreciation for the cerebral part of the game is what’s impressive to me,” Manning said about Jalen Hurts. “He’s taking his game to the next level, and I think the sky’s the limit for this guy.”

Coming from Manning, that’s not just a compliment—that’s a stamp of approval from quarterback royalty. And honestly, it shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s actually watched Hurts play instead of just scrolling through his stat sheet looking for reasons to complain.

The Jalen Hurts Evolution Story Nobody Wants to Talk About

Remember when Hurts got benched for Tua Tagovailoa in the 2018 National Championship? Yeah, that happened. Most quarterbacks would’ve packed it in, transferred to some mid-tier program, and faded into college football obscurity. But not Hurts.

Manning and Collinsworth were both blown away by how Hurts bounced back from what could’ve been a career-defining embarrassment. “That’s kind of a situation where it’s embarrassing and you don’t sort of recover from it mentally or emotionally,” Manning noted.

But recover he did. A year with Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma transformed him into a second-round NFL talent, and here we are, watching him lead the Eagles to Super Bowl appearances like it’s no big deal.

Why Jalen Hurts Gets Under Manning’s Skin (In the Best Way)

Here’s where things get interesting. Hurts and Manning have a relationship that goes back to Manning’s QB camp during Hurts’ high school days. But their connection runs deeper than just camp memories—Hurts actually calls Manning to pick his brain about specific plays and quarterback nuances.

“He calls me with very specific questions about certain plays, so he’s a student of the game,” Manning explained. And apparently, Hurts doesn’t mess around when it comes to these conversations. Manning joked that he doesn’t even try his comedy material on Hurts because he’s pretty sure he’d “hear crickets.”

The funniest part? When Manning didn’t include Jalen Hurts in his top-five quarterbacks list last year (listing Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert instead), Hurts texted him about 20 minutes later, asking why he didn’t make the cut. Manning was so rattled by the whole thing that he stopped making quarterback rankings altogether.

The Mental Toughness That Separates Champions

What really stands out about Hurts isn’t just his physical tools, though being able to “run guys over” and “throw it a mile” certainly doesn’t hurt. It’s the mental fortitude that’s caught Manning’s attention.

Think about it: this is a guy who got pulled in the biggest game of his college career, watched his replacement win a national championship, and then used that experience as fuel rather than letting it destroy his confidence. That’s not normal quarterback behavior—that’s champion-level mental toughness.

“They actually run a lot of plays that we used to run,” Manning observed, noting the connection between current Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and the coaching tree that includes Frank Reich and Tom Moore. It’s like watching football history repeat itself, but with a quarterback who brings a completely different skill set to familiar concepts.

The Super Bowl Reality Check

Let’s address the elephant in the room: Jalen Hurts has already accomplished more than most quarterbacks ever will. Two Super Bowl appearances, one Super Bowl victory, and a Super Bowl MVP award—all before turning 27. Oh, and he beat Patrick Mahomes in a Super Bowl, which apparently doesn’t count for much in some circles.

The guy hasn’t even put on his Super Bowl ring yet, which tells you everything you need to know about his mindset. While other players are posting Instagram stories with their hardware, Hurts is too busy texting Peyton Manning about specific route concepts and defensive adjustments.

Why the Sky Really Is the Limit

Manning’s assessment that “the sky’s the limit” for Jalen Hurts isn’t just coach-speak—it’s a genuine evaluation from someone who understands what it takes to sustain excellence at the quarterback position.

At 27 years old (he just celebrated his birthday), Hurts is entering what should be the prime years of his career with a resume that already includes the highest levels of success. More importantly, he’s doing it with the kind of preparation and attention to detail that Manning built his own legendary career on.

The relationship between these two quarterbacks—separated by generations but connected by their obsession with the mental side of the game—represents something special in the NFL. It’s not often you see a Hall of Fame quarterback go out of his way to praise a current player’s approach to studying film and understanding defensive concepts.

So maybe it’s time to stop debating whether Jalen Hurts belongs in the conversation about elite quarterbacks and start appreciating what we’re watching in real time. When Peyton Manning says the sky’s the limit for your quarterback, you might want to listen.