(AUDACY) To say ESPN analyst and former Bears linebacker Sam Acho is bullish on rookie quarterbacks Trey Lance and Justin Fields would be an understatement.
“Justin Fields and Trey Lance could be the next Peyton Manning and Tom Brady,” Acho argued Friday during his appearance on "First Take" on ESPN. “These two young quarterbacks are the future of the NFL.”
That’s high praise for players, who have never played an NFL down in a regular-season game yet. Fields and Lance will be holding clipboards as backups in Week 1, though it shouldn’t be long until either of them see the field. What Fields and Lance have going for them, among other selling points, is that both are incredible athletes capable of making plays with their feet. With pocket passers in the mold of Brady and Manning largely being phased out in favor of dual threats like Lamar Jackson, Kyler Murray and to a lesser extent Josh Allen, Acho sees Fields and Lance as torchbearers for the NFL’s new tuck-and-run aesthetic.
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“We’ve seen how the NFL’s gone. Look at MVPs. Aaron Rodgers can move. Patrick Mahomes can move. Daniel Jones, even though people are asking questions about (him), can move. Lamar Jackson as well,” said Acho, whose brother Emmanuel has co-hosted "Speak for Yourself" on FS1 alongside fellow NFL alum Marcellus Wiley since 2020. “So the future of the NFL when it comes to quarterbacking is changing. You need athletic quarterbacks who can also throw the ball, who can make every throw but can also move in the pocket. That’s what I see with these two young quarterbacks.”
Can Lance (the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft) and Fields (No. 11 overall) build a rivalry as compelling as the one forged by Manning and Brady, two relentless competitors and masters of their craft? Acho seems to think so -- and perhaps we’ll get a taste of what’s to come when the Bears host Lance’s Niners in Week 8.
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