Peyton Manning shares keys to success for rookie QB development that every NFL team should take notes on
The Sheriff shared a pair of strong QB development opinions teams should take to heart
Developing young quarterback talent is as tricky as it is important. And with the 2025 NFL draft on the horizon, a handful of teams are likely to be in the position to have to figure it out soon. Whether Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders land with the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, or any other surprise teams, their fit and development will make or break their careers.
One of the greatest quarterbacks in the game, Peyton Manning, recently shared two strongly-held opinions of his own on the way QBs are brought up in the modern NFL. On "This Is Football" with ESPN's Kevin Clark, he was asked what he would tell teams about how to develop their young passers:
"Yeah, it's a great question. I mean, there's all these arguments as to whether you play right away or you sit, and how do you argue against Patrick Mahomes sitting for a year behind Alex Smith? And then all of a sudden just going ahead and winning three Super Bowls after that?
Look, I played right away, didn't play well, but we went 3-13 as a rookie and then went 13-3 my second year. There's no way that happens if I don't play every game as a rookie. Eli (Manning), to me, is sort of what I base my thoughts on. He sat 10 games, his first 10 games as a rookie. And then he played the last 6 and he said what he learned in the 6 playing was night-and-day compared to what he learned on the sidelines.
So I still think getting in there playing is the best way to learn, but you know what? Rodgers, Jordan Love, the Packers have had a plan. It's just about developing him, coaching him hard, putting good people around him, all those things come into play."
So clearly Manning leans that there's no better way to develop a young QB than by throwing them in the fire. There are exceptions, and we've seen examples of the patient behind-the-scenes development track working as well. Most forward-thinking coaches today will tell you there's no replacement for experience with live reps.
But there really is no consensus on the line drawn between prospects who truly do need some time to develop vs. those who can be thrown into the fire. In speaking with people in the league this offseason, I've heard the same people who advocate for playing young QBs early say that both Ward and Sanders are candidates to benefit more from sitting.
So playing sooner than later is Peyton's first piece of advice. His second is a call to stability, something many organizations seem to have less and less of these days.
"It's got to be an organizational plan. I mean, it bothers me that Bryce Young is already on his third play caller and he's only played two seasons, right? Caleb Williams is going to be on his third play caller sometime next September. And that to me, that's a mess, right?
If we're going to draft this guy, okay, who's the head coach, who is going to be the coordinator. This is the system we're going to run. If the coordinator leaves and takes a head coaching job, I want the guy that's replacing him shadowing him 24/7. He's riding to work with him. He's eating breakfast with him. Maybe he sleeps in the same room."
The trend of rapid turnover in the NFL has at times risen to the level of actual warnings at the annual owners meetings, to avoid spending so much money paying out contracts for people who have been fired. Owners of the more dysfunctional teams in the league have infinitely deep pockets, and aren't afraid to operate a workplace where dramatic turnover is regular. To them, it seems like a small dent in the pocket book in order to better their team's leadership. But often times they're missing the damage it's doing to their players from a continuity standpoint.
"I think Baker Mayfield had to learn five systems in four years. Alex Smith, six systems in six years. Like ,Tom Brady had the same system his whole career. I had the same system my first 14 years in Indy.
There's a reason that, you know, going back to those reps. And so, yes, you're exactly right. It's an organizational plan. What is the best way to develop this guy? Don't make him learn Latin, German, and French all in the first two years. That's not fair."
So take notes, teams set to develop young QBs in the near future: Have an organizational plan, try to stick to that plan for continuity, and play your young passers early. Sheriff's orders.
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