Few people know the burden of being a franchise quarterback better than Peyton Manning. Along with being a former No. 1 overall pick, Manning also felt the pressure associated with trying to bring a championship to a city that had never previously experienced one. It took eight years, but Manning did eventually bring a championship to Indianapolis after the Colts won the 2006 Super Bowl.
Nearly two decades after he reached the mountaintop for the first time, Manning projects that fellow former No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow will have a similar experience with the Cincinnati Bengals, a franchise that is still in pursuit of its first Super Bowl win.
“There are expectations that come with [being a franchise quarterback], but Joe is well aware of those, and he can carry that burden and wants those expectations on his shoulders,” Manning said during a recent visit to the Queen City. “And I know he fully expects, as I do as well, to bring a championship here to Cincinnati.”
Manning was in Cincinnati to shoot a segment for his “Peyton’s Places” documentary series. Another Manning project, the Netflix documentary titled Quarterback, will feature Burrow along with Detroit’s Jared Goff and Atlanta’s Kirk Cousins. Burrow, who is by nature a private person, recently acknowledged that he probably would have passed on doing Quarterback if not for Manning and his involvement in the series.
While Manning clearly has Burrow’s respect and admiration, the same can be said of Manning when it comes to Burrow, who in 2021 led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl berth in 33 years.
“He’s an incredible quarterback,” Manning said of Burrow, who last season became the second player in history to win NFL Comeback Player of the Year a second time. “He’s just fun to watch play. He’s exciting when the ball is in his hands. The game is never over.
“He’s calm, he’s collected, he doesn’t sweat. Out there on the field, off the field … he’s very authentic.”
Like Manning did during his career, Burrow has lived up to his status as a former No. 1 overall pick. As noted earlier, Burrow led the Bengals to the cusp of the franchise’s first Super Bowl win in just his second season in Cincinnati. He and his teammates followed that season up with a second consecutive AFC title game appearance in 2022, where they came up just short against the eventual champion Kansas City Chiefs.
The last few years, however, frustrated both Burrow and the Bengals. An injury sidelined Burrow for the final seven games of the 2023 season, the second season-ending injury of Burrow’s career. After missing the playoffs that season after posting a 9-8 record, Cincinnati again just missed qualifying for the playoffs in 2024 after recording an identical record as the prior season.
Cincinnati had the same record last year despite Burrow being healthy all season while playing at an MVP level. In addition to Burrow, receiver Ja’Marr Chase also had an incredible season that included being only the fifth wideout since the merger to lead the NFL in catches, receiving yards and touchdown catches.
While they finished the season on a five-game winning streak, the Bengals took no solace in how they finished the 2024 campaign. The decision to relieve popular defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo of his duties shortly after the season ended was a reflection of the Bengals’ front office’s desire to maximize the remaining time it has with Burrow and the rest of the team’s nucleus under contract.
Manning feels the Bengals will do that, but he acknowledged that it won’t be easy.
“I fully expect them to be in contention in the AFC every year,” Manning said of the Bengals. “It’s tough. The division is extremely tough. Nobody’s going to just lay down and let you have it. You’ve got to go and get it. I know [Burrow is] capable of doing that, and I look forward to watching him in his journey.”
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Author: Bryan DeArdo
June 4, 2025 | 2:20 pm
