It was late January 2026, and the air in the film room felt heavy. You’ve probably seen the highlight reels of Patrick Mahomes spinning away from a blitz or Jalen Hurts powering through a goal-line stand. It’s easy to look at the screen today and think this is how it’s always been. But honestly? That’s a total myth. For the longest time, the NFL was a closed loop for African American quarterbacks.
History isn’t just a list of dates. It’s a messy, often frustrating story of talented guys being told they weren't "smart enough" to lead. They called it the "CEO position" for a reason—it was about control.
Today, we see 16 Black starters in a single week. That’s basically half the league. But the road from Marlin Briscoe to Caleb Williams wasn't a straight line. It was a fight.
The Myth of the "Natural Athlete"
For decades, scouts had this weird, coded language. If a Black kid could throw a ball through a tire at sixty yards, they didn't call him a quarterback. They called him an "athlete."
What did that actually mean? It meant: "We want you to play wide receiver or defensive back."
Take Marlin Briscoe back in 1968. He was a star in college. The Denver Broncos drafted him in the 14th round but tried to shove him into the secondary. Briscoe basically had to gamble on himself, refusing to sign unless he got a look at QB. He ended up starting, set a rookie record for touchdowns, and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.
And then? Denver let him go. He spent the rest of his career as a Pro Bowl receiver because the league just wasn't ready to let a Black man hold the clipboard and the play-call sheet. It’s wild to think about now, but that was the standard operating procedure.
Breaking the Glass Ceiling in January
If you want to understand why African American quarterbacks matter so much to the fabric of the game, you have to look at Doug Williams in Super Bowl XXII.
The year was 1988. People were literally asking him how long he’d been a Black quarterback. No, seriously. The pressure was suffocating. Williams didn't just play; he dismantled the Denver Broncos. Four touchdowns in a single quarter.
- Doug Williams (1988): First to start and win a Super Bowl.
- Russell Wilson (2014): Brought the "undersized" dual-threat era to the mainstream.
- Patrick Mahomes (2020, 2023, 2024): The first to win multiple titles and MVPs.
- Jalen Hurts (2025): The most recent addition to the winner's circle with his Super Bowl LIX victory.
Winning matters. In a league that values results above everything else, these wins killed the "leadership" argument. You can’t argue with a ring.
The Mahomes-Jackson Effect
We are currently living in an era where the two most influential players in the sport are Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. It’s sorta funny when you remember that people wanted Lamar to move to wide receiver before the 2018 draft.
Lamar didn't just stay at QB; he broke the system. He won two MVPs before he was 27. He forced defensive coordinators to rip up their playbooks.
Then you have Mahomes. He’s the face of the league. He’s the guy every kid—regardless of race—wants to be. He’s got that "it" factor that transcends the old racial tropes. When you see him making no-look passes, you aren't seeing a "Black quarterback." You’re seeing the best player on the planet.
But the nuance here is important. As Mahomes himself has noted, he stands on the shoulders of guys like James "Shack" Harris and Warren Moon. Moon had to go to Canada for six years just to prove he could play. Imagine if he’d spent those prime years in the NFL? He’d probably own every record in the book.
Why 2026 is Different
The 2025-2026 season felt like a tipping point.
We saw a massive influx of young talent. Caleb Williams in Chicago. Jayden Daniels in Washington. C.J. Stroud turning the Texans into a powerhouse overnight. Jordan Love proving that the "Green Bay way" works just as well for him as it did for the guys before him.
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Honestly, the diversity isn't just about the starters anymore. It’s about the pipeline. For a long time, the backup spots were almost exclusively white. That mattered because backups often become coaches. Now, we’re seeing guys like Geno Smith revitalize their careers, showing that Black QBs get second chances too.
Current Landscape of Leaders
- The Established Elites: Mahomes, Lamar, Dak Prescott.
- The New Guard: C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Caleb Williams.
- The Grinders: Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield (wait, wrong list), Kyler Murray.
It's not just about speed anymore. It's about the "mental" game. Stroud’s rookie season was a masterclass in reading coverages. He wasn't "scrambling for his life"; he was dissecting defenses from the pocket. That's the final frontier—destroying the idea that African American quarterbacks are only dangerous when they run.
What’s Still Missing?
We shouldn't pat ourselves on the back too hard yet. While the field is diverse, the sidelines and the front offices are still catching up.
Most head coaches come from the "quarterback whisperer" tree. If you don't have Black QBs, you don't have Black QB coaches. If you don't have Black QB coaches, you don't have Black Offensive Coordinators.
It’s a cycle.
We’re starting to see it shift with guys like Jerod Mayo or DeMeco Ryans, but the offensive side of the ball—the "genius" side—still has some gates to swing open.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're following the league today, stop using "athletic" as a backhanded compliment. When you're scouting or even just talking football at the bar, look for these specific traits that define the modern elite QB:
- Process Speed: How fast does the player go from "snap" to "decision"?
- Off-Platform Adjustments: Can they throw accurately when their feet aren't set? (The Mahomes specialty).
- Layered Passing: Can they throw over the linebacker but under the safety?
- Pocket Navigation: It's not about running away; it's about sliding three inches to the left to buy two seconds.
The best way to respect the history of African American quarterbacks is to judge them by the same complex metrics we use for everyone else. No more "he’s a great runner but..." talk.
Watch the tape. The numbers don't lie. From the 16 starters in Week 1 of 2025 to the Super Bowl showdowns we're seeing now, the "experiment" is over. It wasn't an experiment. It was just a waiting game for the talent to be allowed to shine.
Next time you see a rookie QB making a check-down at the line of scrimmage, remember James Harris getting death threats in the 70s just for calling a huddle. We’ve come a long way, but the story is still being written on every Sunday afternoon.
Keep an eye on the 2026 Draft. The pipeline from the SEC and Big 10 is more crowded than ever with dual-threat and pro-style Black prospects who don't even remember a time when they weren't "allowed" to play the position. That’s the real victory.
Check the stats for the upcoming playoff round. You’ll see names like Love, Stroud, and Hurts at the top of the efficiency charts. That isn't a fluke. It’s the new standard.