History is being made to start the 2024-25 NFL season. A league record 15 Black quarterbacks will be starting Week 1.
The previous mark was set last season when 14 started under center. In 1923, Fritz Pollard was credited as the NFL’s first Black starting quarterback. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
The position was later popularized by players such as Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, Doug Williams and Reggie Collier in the 1980s.
These are the record-setting quarterbacks and their teams for Week 1:
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals; Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens; Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers; Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears; Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns; Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys; Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers; C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans; Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts; Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs; Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots; Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles; Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers; Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks; Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
In this modern era, star quarterbacks like Mahomes, Hurts and Jackson dominate the league.
Newcomers like Daniels, Young and Stroud are developing rapidly on their own.
Week 1’s historic moment comes coincidentally as the league and Amazon released a trailer for the documentary “Evolution of the Black Quarterback ” on Sept. 2, with the Pro Football Hall of Fame approving on X on Sept. 3.
