Half of the NFL's Starting QBs are Black. Does it Matter?

Published September 2, 2025 at 12:25 PM EDT

Half of the NFL's starting quarterbacks are African-American

NEW YORK, NY — A record 16 Black quarterbacks will start in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. This represents half of the NFL's starting quarterbacks (a first in league history) and breaks the previous record of 15 set in 2024.

The historic class of 2025 includes Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers), Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears), Cam Ward (Tennessee Titans), C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans), Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys), Geno Smith (Las Vegas Raiders), Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles), Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders), Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers), Justin Fields (New York Jets), Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals), Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens), Michael Penix Jr. (Atlanta Falcons), Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs), Russell Wilson (New York Giants) and Spencer Rattler (New Orleans Saints).

The list includes three Super Bowl winners (Mahomes, Wilson and Hurts), two league MVPs (Mahomes and Jackson) and three number one overall picks in the NFL Draft (Ward, Williams and Young).

While the news met with overwhelmingly positive reaction on the NEGRO DIGEST ™ official Facebook page, some of our followers said: "Why does this matter? Just play football. Who cares? Who keeps track?"

The reason it matters, as a follower named Jay D. Kelly from Beverly, Massachusetts correctly pointed out, is because: "There was a time in the not so distant past where it was believed that black Americans had raw athleticism but lacked the brain capacity to lead the team as a quarterback, so for this to be the current situation these years later IS relevant and should be noted."

A Brief History Lesson

Fritz Pollard was the NFL's first Black quarterback, playing for the Hammond Pros in 1923. After Pollard's career, a ban on Black players was enacted, and another Black quarterback wouldn't play until Willie Thrower appeared in a game for the Chicago Bears in 1953. Marlin Briscoe then became the first Black quarterback to start a modern professional football game in 1968.

The American Football League (AFL) was known to be more tolerant towards Black players than the rival National Football League, which had harbored racist tendencies until the 1960s under the influence of Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall.

The Canadian Football League (CFL) was more welcoming to Black quarterbacks than its American counterparts during the mid-twentieth century. By the 1970s, Black starting quarterbacks were commonplace and included players such as Conredge Holloway, who was also the first Black quarterback to start in the SEC, for the Tennessee Volunteers whom he led to three straight bowl games. Holloway was drafted into the NFL by the New England Patriots, but he was drafted as a defensive back not a quarterback.

Warren Moon, who had a stellar collegiate career for the University of Washington, was also forced to play in the CFL. Moon won five Grey Cup championships in Canada before coming to play in the NFL. His success largely broke the stereotype that Blacks could not succeed as quarterbacks, which ushered more prominent Black quarterbacks into the NFL starting in the 1980s.