Ryan Clark claims Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were not generational talents

There are generational talents, and then there are lesser quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, according to Ryan Clark.

Thursday morning on ESPN’s First Take, Clark and Dan Orlovsky were debating the generational talent candidacy of Arch Manning. Orlvosky believes the Texas Longhorns quarterback is a generational talent, while Clark does not. And when you hear just how exclusive Clark keeps his list of generational talents at the quarterback position, it’s not surprising that he hasn’t invited Arch Manning to the party.

“I don’t think Tom Brady, I don’t think Drew Brees, I don’t think Peyton Manning are generational talents.” – Ryan Clark pic.twitter.com/sTgNQXxfBY

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 4, 2025

“I think John Elway was a generational talent. I think Patrick Mahomes is a generational talent,” Clark told Orlovsky and Stephen A. Smith. “I don’t think Tom Brady, I don’t think Drew Brees, I don’t think Peyton Manning are generational talents. I think Andrew Luck ended up being a generational talent, I don’t think there’s a ton of them out there.”

This is a hot take seemingly meant for July, when ESPN is more starved for content and engagement, but not the morning of the NFL season kicking off. If you want to slow the hype train on Arch Manning, then OK, now is the time to do it after his Week 1 performance against Ohio State. But Tom Brady and Peyton Manning? Peyton was absolutely considered a generational talent in college. And if he had any ability to run, he would have been graded as high of a prospect as Elway and Luck were.

The problem is this debate can be twisted several ways based on how you define “generational talent.” Are we talking about “generational talent” literally? Because that would negate Brady, Brees and Manning from the conversation considering they played in the same generation.

Are we talking about “generational talent” coming out of college? Because then yes, even a benched Anthony Richardson was more of a generational talent than Tom Brady, who fell to the sixth round. But if we’re talking about career accomplishments, then obviously, Brady and Manning proved to be “generational talents” at the quarterback position.

Without setting the ground rules for what is meant by “generational talent,” Orlovsky and Clark seemed to be debating different things. And Clark’s definition of the term took him to a point where he was claiming Brady and Manning don’t fit the mold. But if Brady and Peyton Manning aren’t considered generational talents, then quarterbacks shouldn’t even want the label.