ESPN analyst Damien Woody prefers Joe Burrow over Patrick Mahomes

“We know about the talent of Patrick Mahomes. We see the no-look passes. We see all the off-platform stuff that a lot of us have never seen before out of the quarterback position. … Sometimes it’s about the intangibles,” Woody said. “What Joe Burrow has done for, not just that Cincinnati offense, but the whole organization, it’s almost like he’s brought a chip on his shoulder to the whole organization.

“When you talk about the quarterback position, a lot of it is about being a leader of men. Joe Burrow really instills that within this Bengals offense.”

Does Mahomes lack intangibles? There was nothing Woody said about Burrow that anyone would argue with. But the question was if he would rather have Burrow or Mahomes for the next five years. Burrow’s younger than Mahomes, but the Kansas City Chiefs star is still just 26. He has already won a Super Bowl and an NFL MVP Award. Mahomes also has played in two Super Bowls.

Mahomes and the Chiefs are having a down year offensively by their own standards, and Mahomes still has 4,310 yards, 33 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Burrow has 4,165 yards, 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Could Burrow wind up having a better career than Mahomes? It’s certainly possible, but saying you would take the former over the latter for the next five years is the definition of a piping-hot take. Then again, Woody was just doing his job.