Peyton Manning is “big fan” of Marcus Mariota

Marcus Mariota is off to a stellar start in his NFL career, and one of the greatest quarterbacks in history is noticing.

During Tennessee’s 24-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, 5-time NFL MVP and 2-time Super Bowl Champion Peyton Manning had nothing but kind words for the former Oregon quarterback.

“I really like Marcus,’’ Manning said. “I have known him for a long time. He has been to our football camp down in Louisiana every year and he has gotten better every year. Playing is your best experience, and he has improved.

Each offseason, Peyton, Eli and Archie Manning put on the Manning Passing Academy in Louisiana, bringing in talented high school quarterbacks from around the country with collegiate quarterbacks acting as counselors.

This year, Mariota’s passer rating of 100.3 ranks third in the AFC behind Tom Brady and Derek Carr and ranks 7th overall in the NFL. Mariota recently became the first Titans quarterback to throw for 20 touchdowns in a season since 2003, when Steve McNair threw for 24 touchdowns.