Aug 7, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) throws the ball as he warms up before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
The mere mention of Jalen Hurts' name right now can cause a 30-minute heated debate. Pundits can't seem to leave Hurts' name out of their mouths, discussing whether he's an elite quarterback or not.
For Hurts, it doesn't hurt to have one of the best quarterbacks of all time singing your praises.
Peyton Manning recently talked highly of Hurts during an appearance on Cris Collinsworth's Pro Football Focus podcast.
"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 told Collinsworth. "He's taking his game to the next level and I think the sky's the limit for this guy."
Hurts and Manning's relationship dates back to when Hurts attended the Manning QB camp in high school. A couple months ago, Manning revealed that in 2024 after he didn't list Hurts as one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL, the Eagles signal caller texted him and was frustrated. Manning explained he doesn't make any quarterback lists anymore because of it.
Manning originally listed Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert as the five best QBs in the league. Despite Hurts' irritation, the decision didn't strain his and Manning's relationship one bit. The Hall of Famer explained that Hurts likes to call Manning and pick his brain about the intricacies of playing quarterback.
"He's played so well in those Super Bowls, but I like the way he goes about it," Manning said. "They actually run a lot of plays that we used to run. Sirianni, to Frank Reich to Tom Moore, sort of that chain.
"And he calls me with very specific questions about certain plays, so he's a student of the game."
It's not surprising that Hurts is trying to learn from the best. He's always trying to find ways to improve, even coming off a Super Bowl victory. Hurts doesn't dwell on the past much, which is shown by the fact he hasn't even put on his Super Bowl ring yet.
Hurts' career arc is something Manning and Collinsworth were both impressed with. They applauded him for the way he bounced back despite getting benched in the 2018 National Championship for Tua Tagovailoa and steadied his career.
"I mean it tells you all about his mental toughness, right?," Manning said. "That's kind of a situation where it's embarrassing and you don't sort of recover from it mentally or emotionally."
Hurts recovered fine alright. A year with Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma made him into a second-round talent and started his upward trajectory to where he is now.
According to Manning, the sky is the limit for Hurts, who just turned 27 this week. Part of that is because of Hurts' stoic demeanor, which is even intimidating to Manning.
"We haven't had a face to face in a while. We do a lot of texting and a lot of voice memos, but I imagine he's reading those with a very serious face," Manning joked. "I don't crack any jokes with him. I don't test my material on him, because I'd imagine I would hear crickets."
