Peyton Manning Tells Joe Burrow That Rookie Season Will Be a Learning Experience

Peyton Manning knows some of what Joe Burrow will likely go through next season. Manning was a star SEC quarterback at Tennessee and took home countless national QB awards during his senior season before being draft No. 1 overall in the 1998 NFL draft. Burrow is the presumptive No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL draft after completing one of the greatest seasons in college football history at LSU. 

The two quarterbacks spoke last week, with the long-time Colts star offering up his advice for the future NFL rookie. 

"He called me about some of the things that I tried to do as a rookie that maybe he can apply to his NFL career," Manning said Sunday on ESPN's SportsCenter. "Looks like it's going to be with the Cincinnati Bengals. Look what I told him, I said, 'Joe if you're the first pick in the NFL draft you are going to a team that has really earned the first pick in the NFL draft. There are going to be some holes there. And there's a reason the Colts were picking No. 1 that year. There's a reason the Bengals are picking No. 1 this year. The Giants when they had Eli.'

"But for him, I tried to tell him it's a marathon, not a sprint."

Manning said Burrow attended Manning's QB camp last summer and that the two have remained in contact since. Manning added that he made sure to remind Burrow that, "your rookie year is not going to be the same as your senior year in college. But if you learn how fast the defensive backs are, how soon you have to get rid of the ball, understand defenses, you can become a better player and really get it going the year or two after that."

During Manning's rookie season, Indianapolis struggled, finishing the year just 3–13. The two-time Super Bowl winner threw a league-high and NFL rookie-record 28 interceptions, a mark that still stands.

The 14-time Pro Bowl told Burrow that he wouldn't be too upset if he broke that aforementioned record. 

“I’d be okay with that," Manning joked. "We’d still be friends.”