What Do Quarterbacks in NFL Divisional Round Have in Common?

With the professional future of 45-year-old quarterback Tom Brady and 39-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers still very much up in the air, a new set of quarterbacks are getting set to play in the NFL’s Divisional Round this weekend.

The four games in the Divisional Round, which will feature neither Rodgers nor Brady for the first time since 2009, will include eight quarterbacks who are all at least 10 years younger than the longtime Packer and former Patriot.

In addition to all being under 30, the eight starting quarterbacks taking the field this weekend — Trevor Lawrence (23), Brock Purdy (23), Jalen Hurts (24), Daniel Jones (25), Joe Burrow (26), Josh Allen (26), Patrick Mahomes (27) and Dak Prescott (29) — all share something else in common that was revealed by ex-Giants QB Eli Manning on Twitter.

According to Manning, Lawrence, Purdy, Hurts, Jones, Burrow, Allen, Mahomes and Prescott were all counselors at the Manning Passing Academy, a four-day clinic that is held annually in the summer in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Taking place starting on June 22 this year for campers entering grades 8-12, this year’s Manning Passing Academy is already fully booked.

All 8 starting QB’s this weekend were counselors at the Manning Passing Academy. Pretty cool.
— Eli Manning (@EliManning) January 18, 2023

Having all the former passing academy counselors playing this weekend is certainly a good look for Manning, his father Archie and his brothers Peyton and Cooper, but there’s one former attendee Eli has a stronger vested interest in, his former backup on the Giants.

The first quarterback in NFL postseason history with at least 300 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and 70 rushing yards in a game following Sunday’s upset win over the Vikings, Daniel Jones got some advice from Manning before New York was able to knock off Minnesota in the Super Wild Card Round.

“He’s like, ‘What about the speed? Is it faster in the playoffs?’ I’m like, ‘That’s just something people say because they’ve got to say something,’” Manning said on Monday. “The speed’s the same. No one all of a sudden gets faster all of a sudden for this game. It’s just if people are playing harder, you’re going to play harder. If you have a third-and-five, you’re going to lay out for that first down. People are just going to the whistle.”

This weekend’s whistles will start blowing on Saturday afternoon when the Jaguars take on the Chiefs in Kansas City. Interesting tidbit about that game: Lawrence has never lost a high school, college or professional game on a Saturday. He will be hoping to push that mark to 38-0 despite the Chiefs being 8.5-point favorites in the Divisional Round. Kansas City beat Jacksonville 27-17 in Week 10.