Wһаt botһerѕ Peyton Mаnnіng moѕt wіtһ Cаleb Wіllіаmѕ, Bryce Young ѕtruggleѕ

Peyton Manning isn't a fan of how current rookie QBs are treated.

Within their first couple of seasons in the league, rookie quarterbacks are some of the most scrutinized players in the NFL. Given how impactful the quarterback position is, the criticism is somewhat justified, even if it isn't necessarily fair. This notion of early struggles has been seen with Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, and the same happened with Bryce Young in his rookie season with the Carolina Panthers. However, in an episode of This is Football, Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning joined Kevin Clark to explain why these rookie quarterbacks might struggle so much during their first couple of seasons in the league.

“It bothers me that Bryce Young is already on his third play-caller and he’s only played two seasons,” Manning said. “Caleb Williams is going to be on his third play-caller sometime next September. That to me is a miss. If we’re going to draft this guy, okay who is the head coach going to be, the coordinator, this is the system that 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.

“Tom Brady had the same system his whole career. I had the same system my first 14 years in Indy. There’s a reason going back to those reps. 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.”

If Peyton Manning could tell teams how to develop young QBs, what would he say? His answer should be on every owners' desk today.

This Is Football with Peyton previewing the playoff QBs just dropped. pic.twitter.com/qq5fGrylfg

— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) January 10, 2025

Now, when it comes to struggles early on in an NFL career, Manning is a pretty reliable source. For those who aren't aware, Peyton Manning holds the record for most interceptions thrown by a quarterback in their rookie season with 28, dating all the way back to 1998.

Even with more games in a season, Manning's record has remained unbroken. Some have come close, though Manning reigns supreme in that department, still, after nearly three decades.

With how short the leash is for NFL head coaches and coordinators nowadays, rookie quarterbacks are even more difficult to develop.

Before the days of paying quarterbacks $50 million per season, there wasn't a huge rush to get rookie quarterbacks playing within the first couple of years. Now, however, it's almost become rare for quarterbacks drafted early to sit much, if at all.

NFL teams want to capitalize on quarterbacks within their rookie contract, as it allows for that extra money to be allocated elsewhere. Brock Purdy with the San Francisco 49ers is a great example of that.

Since Purdy was on a rookie deal after being selected with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, his contract was less expensive than someone who was drafted in the first round.

With that, the 49ers were able to use their money elsewhere, surrounding Purdy with loads of weapons on both sides of the ball.

And since Purdy's coaching staff has been relatively untouched since he was drafted, he hasn't been forced to learn, re-learn, and forget past teachings.

As Peyton Manning said, it's like teaching them three different languages throughout the course of just a couple of seasons.

Young and Wiliams have both struggled during their respective rookie seasons. However, if the Panthers and Bears can get some stability in their coaching staffs, it's entirely possible that both quarterbacks can flourish in the NFL.