Joe Burrow is like ‘butter pecan’ ice cream according to Sean Payton

Sean Payton has been enjoying retirement ever since he left the New Orleans Saints, watching football on the couch and speaking his mind on Twitter like any passionate NFL fan.

In Peter King’s “Football Morning in America” column, Payton shared his two cents on the league’s overtime rules and some memorable plays from this year’s playoffs games before diving into the quarterback discussion.

Payton was asked which young quarterback he’d pick to build a franchise around today, and his response echoed that of the majority of football aficionados.

"“Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes. A tie. When everything isn’t perfect, and there are many times in a game when things aren’t perfect, they’re the best two in the game at the off-schedule throws."

Not much to argue with there. We’re just relieved he didn’t say Taysom Hill.

Payton did throw in a third-place consolatory quarterback, one who is on a quest to win his first ring in just his second year in the league.

"“I like Joe Burrow. I love Joe Burrow. I just trust the other guys to run it better. But that’s like, I like vanilla and pistachio, you like butter pecan. All good choices.”"

Saints’ ex-coach Sean Payton compares quarterbacks to ice cream flavors

Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow ended up besting Mahomes in the AFC Championship and will face one of the Saints’ most hated teams, the Los Angeles Rams, in the Super Bowl on Feb. 13.

Payton makes the quarterback talk sound like a discussion of preference, which is all it really is. Asking which young, uber-talented QB is the best is the same as asking which ice cream flavor is your favorite — it all comes down to individual taste. Allen, Mahomes, and Burrow each possess their own unique set of traits and skills that appeals to different people, but they are all “good choices” as franchise cornerstones and future faces of the league.

And they all contribute to the cutthroat competition within the AFC as well, whose elite quarterback group far outweighs that of the NFC.

As the AFC grows stronger, the NFC will be crippled in 2022. Tom Brady’s retirement has left the NFC South up for grabs, and several other quarterbacks in the conference may be looking for new homes this season including Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Russell Wilson.

In Payton’s absence, the Saints will have a tough challenge ahead of them in picking their own starting QB, but they can sleep easy knowing the best quarterback in their conference next year could be Dak Prescott.

No hate on Dak but compared to facing the other guys in the AFC? We’ll take it.

The Saints former coach isn’t the only one lauding praise on Burrow, check out some of the interesting quotes from NFL executives and coaches in this article from FanSided’s Matt Lombardo.