Recently, Hou͏s͏ton T͏e͏xans QB C͏J Stroud made͏ wave͏s by͏ choosi͏ng Eli ͏M͏anning ov͏er Aaron Rodgers duri͏ng his ͏appearance o͏n the ‘Mil͏li͏on͏ D͏ollaz Worth͏ Of Gam͏e’ po͏dcas͏t. This͏ bold statemen͏t did͏ not sit͏ well with͏ many, especially James͏ Jones, a͏ ͏form͏er wide ͏re͏ceiver who caught pa͏sses ͏from Rodge͏rs. Jone͏s͏ ͏expres͏sed his frustration,͏ emphasizing the sta͏rk differences between the two qua͏rter͏backs͏’ careers.

“With all due respect to Eli Manning because I believe Eli Manning was a good quarterback in our league. You cannot mention Aaron Rodgers name in the same sentence you mentioned Eli Manning’s name. They are not even close as players,” Jones asserted. He highlighted Rodgers’ achievements, saying, “You are talking about a five-time All-Pro to zero for Eli. You are talking about a Super Bowl champion in Aaron Rodgers and a four-time MVP.”

Jones also pointed to a graphic comparing the two, suggesting it might change Stroud’s mind. He argued, “We have a guy that is going to walk into the Hall of Fame and arguably a guy that has two Super Bowl rings that people go like this. Should he get in?”

Rodgers, celebrated for his versatility and inspirational persona, stands out with four regular season MVPs compared to Manning’s zero. While Manning has two Super Bowl rings to Rodgers’ one, the Green Bay legend excels in nearly every other metric. Rodgers has made the Pro Bowl 10 times, compared to Manning’s four, and boasts a superior QB rating of 103.6 versus Manning’s 84.1.

Jones further criticized the focus on Super Bowl wins alone, stating, “Give me Trent Dilford over Dan Marino because he got one more Super Bowl ring. Or, give me Joe Flacco over Dan Marino because he has a Super Bowl.” He concluded, “Eli had four elite defensive linemen. Aaron Rodgers had a top ten defense how many times? Once. And how many Super Bowls he got? One.”

Amidst these debates, an intriguing trend emerges in the NFL landscape, as Colin Cowherd explores why quarterbacks seem to emulate A-Rod.

Why more NFL QBs emulate Aaron Rodgers over Tom Brady

When͏ ͏it come͏s to quarterbacks͏ co͏pying each other, more NFL pl͏ayers͏ s͏ee͏m to look up͏ to ͏A͏a͏ron Rodgers than the leg͏endary Tom B͏rady. Coli͏n Cowhe͏rd ta͏lked a͏bout this ͏interesting͏ trend on͏ hi͏s͏ po͏d͏ca͏s͏t͏, and it surprised host Nic͏k Wright.

Cowherd observed, “You can’t find a single quarterback who says ‘I structure my whole game around Brady.’ I’ve never seen one, it’s fascinating… Aaron, I can name four off the top of my head.” Despite Brady’s status as the GOAT, young quarterbacks often draw inspiration from Rodgers.

Cowherd suggested that Brady’s methodical and efficient style, while incredibly successful, lacks the creativity that appeals to modern quarterbacks. “There are a lot of ways to be successful but most great athletes or entertainers, they’re all really artists. Brady, less so than any other athlete at all, bordered on mechanical and efficient. He basically was the cheat code, he had the answers to the test…so artists like Caleb, Mahomes, and any of the best quarterbacks now, they’re movers and stylers,” he explained.

Though initially taken aback, Nick Wright acknowledged Cowherd’s point and offered his own thoughts, noting the unique draw of Rodgers’ dynamic and creative play style for the new generation of quarterbacks.