Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) high fives fans coming off the field at the conclusion of the fourth quarter during an NFL AFC wild-card playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, 26-19 to win the franchise’s first playoff game in 30 years. Las Vegas Raiders At Cincinnati Bengals Jan 15 Afc Wild Card Game

Joe Burrow is getting tons of praise for his performance in leading the Cincinnati Bengals to their first playoff win in 31 years on Saturday. Even so, ESPN NFL analyst Rex Ryan is more than willing to hype Burrow to the moon and back, calling Burrow “the next Tom Brady” on Sunday Morning’s NFL Countdown.

“To me, you wanna see the next Tom Brady? You’re looking at him right here,” Ryan said. “You know what, it’s not too big for him. The Bengals haven’t been there. This kid has. He’s won a National Championship, won the Heisman Trophy, he’s a great draft pick for a local kid, he could care less who he plays, and to me that’s Tom Brady.”

Hey look, Burrow has been a superstar so far for the Bengals. He threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday in the playoff win and he’s got Cincinnati looking as good as they’ve looked in decades. But let’s pump the brakes a bit on the whole “next Tom Brady” thing. Burrow hasn’t won one Super Bowl, let alone seven. You kinda have to at least get a couple under your belt before you start getting that kind of comparison.

To be fair, Ryan isn’t the only media person trying to make the connection between Burrow and Brady. Here’s Colin Cowherd earlier in the week.

And Sam Acho and Domonique Foxworth recently discussed whether or not it was fair to compare Burrow to a young Tom Brady.

While the Super Bowl rings discussion is one thing, plenty of people seem to see a lot of skill and determination in the Bengals quarterback that reminds them of the Hall of Famer. We’ll see how his NFL career pans out and whether or not he can rack up some championships, too.

[Rex Ryan]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.