Peyton Manning gets highest praise from retired quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick

Ryan Fitzpatrick has been around and seen a lot. He played for nine teams from 2005-21. (How did he not play for the Colts in 2015? Everybody else did, it seems.)

The 39-year-old recently retired quarterback picks his all-time best QB: Peyton Manning.

Here’s what Fitzpatrick had to say on ESPN’s Adam Schefter podcast (starting at about the 52:30 mark): “I think Peyton’s the greatest quarterback to ever live.”

Why Manning over Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers? Fitzpatrick cites Manning’s “laser focus.”

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“He just did everything with such intent,” Fitzpatrick said. “He changed the game with how he approached it, the mental side.

“It was so quiet when they were on offense and so loud when they were on defense. To have control of every aspect of the game like he did. He was the most impressive I ever saw.”

But what about Brady?

“I think Tom Brady’s the greatest champion.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Peyton Manning praised by retired quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick