# List of black starting NFL quarterbacks

This list of black starting NFL quarterbacks includes those who have started in a regular-season or post-season game in the National Football League (NFL). The quarterback is the leader of a team's offense, directing other players on the field. Some authors have contended that black players have been excluded from playing quarterback in the NFL because of the belief that white players would not follow their leadership and the perception that black quarterbacks lack intelligence, dependability, composure, character, or charisma. Promising black quarterbacks at the high school and college levels were often transitioned at the professional level to other positions, such as running back or wide receiver. While a ban on black players in the NFL ended in 1946, the quarterback position was among the last to be desegregated.
Although black quarterbacks and other quarterbacks of color vary in physical size and playing style, racial stereotyping persists. A 2015 study found that even when controlling for various factors, black quarterbacks are twice as likely to be "benched", or removed from play, as white quarterbacks. Other studies have found that sports broadcasters are more likely to attribute a black quarterback's success to superior athletic attributes and a white quarterback's success to superior intellect. It was not until 2017, when the New York Giants started Geno Smith in place of the benched Eli Manning, that all 32 active NFL teams had started at least one black quarterback. That year, nearly 70% of NFL players, but only 25% of starting quarterbacks, were black. 15 of the league's 32 starting quarterbacks were black at the start of the 2024 NFL season, the most in a single week in NFL history.

## Pre-Super Bowl era

   Racial antagonism should have no place in football, but unhappily the millennium has not yet arrived. Unscrupulous opponents did their best to knock Brown's gritty colored star cold. They were out to 'get' Pollard and they weren't too particular with how they got him. No white man would have had to take the punishment Pollard did.
The quarterback position has changed over the years and did not exist in its modern form in the early 20th century. In the early days of football, quarterbacks were called upon to throw the ball, run the ball, and kick the ball; the forward pass was not adopted widely until the 1930s. However, tailbacks who played in the single-wing formation are "the equivalent of a modern-day quarterback" or "the closest thing to it."
Single-wing tailback Fritz Pollard, a key figure in the early days of the NFL, became the league's first black quarterback when he started playing the position for the Hammond Pros in 1923. By that time, he had already become the first black head coach in the NFL, and prior to his professional career, the first black quarterback All-American and the first to appear in the Rose Bowl. Pollard faced racism throughout his career, including from his teammates. In college, fans were reported to sing "Bye Bye Blackbird" when he took the field. Pollard would sometimes have to enter the field through a separate gate, or be driven onto the field in a car for his own safety, in order to avoid fans who chanted "kill the nigger" and threw bottles and bricks at him. After retiring from football, Pollard started the first black tabloid newspaper, the New York Independent News. In 2005, Pollard was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The demise of the competing American Football League (AFL) in the 1920s left a "glut of available white players eager to sign on with the NFL, rendering black players expendable." In 1926, there were five black players in the NFL, in 1927 only one. With the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s, economic pressures led to a further deterioration of race relations, and minorities were often vilified and scapegoated. When the Chicago Cardinals signed Joe Lillard in 1932, the same year a rule change expanded the forward pass and Franklin Delano Roosevelt won the US presidency with 75% of the black vote, he was the NFL's only black player at the time. Lillard started 12 games with the Chicago Cardinals, and although he threw passes, ran the ball, kicked the ball, and returned punts, he was used sparingly as a quarterback.
1932 was also the year that segregationist George Preston Marshall founded the Boston Braves. The following year, Marshall renamed the Braves the Boston Redskins and brokered an NFL-wide ban on black players. Joe Lillard was released, and by 1934, there were no black players with NFL contracts. In 1937, Marshall moved the Redskins to the southern city of Washington D.C., which was still segregated, renaming the team the Washington Redskins. Marshall's so-called "gentlemen's agreement" barring black players from the NFL lasted until after World War II, when the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) launched in 1946 as an unsegregated competing league. NFL owners relented and lifted the ban, although Marshall nevertheless refused to sign any black players to the Redskins until 1962, when he finally relented under threat from President John F. Kennedy to cancel the Redskins' 30-year stadium lease unless they integrated.
In 1949, George Taliaferro became the first black player drafted into the NFL. Taliaferro had previously played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers. He missed the 1946 season when he was conscripted into the US Army but returned to lead the Hoosiers in both rushing and passing in 1948. The NFL's Chicago Bears drafted Taliaferro in 1949, but he had already signed a contract with the Los Angeles Dons in the AAFC. The LA Dons later joined the NFL, and Taliaferro along with them. He played an unprecedented seven positions during his career, including single-wing tailback or quarterback, more than any player in NFL history. Taliaferro retired in 1955.
Two other black quarterbacks made brief appearances in the pre-Super Bowl NFL. Willie Thrower, "the first black NFL quarterback of the modern mold", played for Michigan State in college before playing one professional game at quarterback for the Bears, in relief duty, on October 18, 1953. Charlie Brackins, the NFL's first black quarterback to have graduated from a historically Black college or university (HBCU), played one game as quarterback for the Green Bay Packers in 1955, missed both of his pass attempts, and was released by the team before the next game.
First black quarterbacks in the NFL (pre-Super Bowl era) :
| Years active | Quarterback | Team |
| 1920–1926 | Fritz Pollard | Akron Pros, Milwaukee Badgers, Hammond Pros, Providence Steam Rollers, Akron Indians |
| 1932–1933 | Joe Lillard | Chicago Cardinals |
| 1950–1955 | George Taliaferro | New York Yanks, Dallas Texans, Baltimore Colts, Philadelphia Eagles |
| 1953 | Willie Thrower | Chicago Bears |
| 1955 | Charlie Brackins | Green Bay Packers |
| Source: Howard 2014 |||

## First by team (Super Bowl era)

   Of the dozens of quarterbacks on the rosters of the 26 major league professional teams in the United States, Marlin is the only one whose skin is black ... But Marlin is not mainly interested in proving he can run the ball. What he's trying to show them is that a black man can run the ball club.
In 1967, the American Football League agreed to merge with the NFL, becoming the American Football Conference, with most former NFL teams forming the National Football Conference. Although the first championship game between the two conferences, known as the Super Bowl, was held in 1967, the merger was not completed until 1970. Marlin Briscoe played for the Denver Broncos, an AFL team, in 1968, and is considered the first black quarterback to start a game in the modern NFL. Briscoe started his rookie year as a defensive back, but when the starting quarterback was injured, Briscoe was called to fill in. He started the last five games of the season, during which he threw 14 touchdown passes and was a candidate for Rookie of the Year. Nevertheless, he was released after the season, and later converted to a receiver.
First black starting quarterback by NFL team (Super Bowl era) :
| No. | Date | Team | Quarterback |
| 1 | October 6, 1968 | Denver Broncos | Marlin Briscoe |
| 2 | September 14, 1969 | Buffalo Bills | James Harris |
| 3 | December 3, 1973 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Joe Gilliam |
| 4 | October 20, 1974 | Los Angeles Rams | James Harris |
| 5 | December 15, 1975 | New York Jets | J. J. Jones |
| 6 | October 24, 1976 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Parnell Dickinson |
| 7 | September 18, 1977 | Los Angeles Chargers | James Harris |
| 8 | November 20, 1977 | Cleveland Browns | Dave Mays |
| 9 | September 16, 1979 | Chicago Bears | Vince Evans |
| 10 | September 2, 1984 | Tennessee Titans | Warren Moon |
| 11 | September 15, 1985 | Philadelphia Eagles | Randall Cunningham |
| 12 | December 21, 1986 | Dallas Cowboys | Reggie Collier |
| 13 | September 20, 1987 | Washington Commanders | Doug Williams |
| 14 | October 4, 1987 | Las Vegas Raiders | Vince Evans |
| 15 | October 1, 1989 | Detroit Lions | Rodney Peete |
| 16 | September 4, 1994 | Minnesota Vikings | Warren Moon |
| 17 | October 30, 1994 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jeff Blake |
| 18 | September 7, 1997 | Seattle Seahawks | Warren Moon |
| 19 | October 31, 1999 | Baltimore Ravens | Tony Banks |
| 20 | September 3, 2000 | New Orleans Saints | Jeff Blake |
| 21 | November 26, 2000 | Kansas City Chiefs | Warren Moon |
| 22 | November 11, 2001 | Atlanta Falcons | Michael Vick |
| 23 | September 8, 2002 | Carolina Panthers | Rodney Peete |
| 24 | October 20, 2002 | Miami Dolphins | Ray Lucas |
| 25 | December 29, 2002 | Jacksonville Jaguars | David Garrard |
| 26 | September 7, 2003 | Arizona Cardinals | Jeff Blake |
| 27 | November 2, 2003 | Houston Texans | Tony Banks |
| 28 | October 31, 2010 | San Francisco 49ers | Troy Smith |
| 29 | November 10, 2013 | Green Bay Packers | Seneca Wallace |
| 30 | January 3, 2016 | Indianapolis Colts | Josh Freeman |
| 31 | September 22, 2016 | New England Patriots | Jacoby Brissett |
| 32 | December 3, 2017 | New York Giants | Geno Smith |
| Source: Johnson 2017, Dator 2017, Gartland 2016, Ruiz 2016 ||||

## NFL MVPs

Four black quarterbacks have won the NFL MVP award a total of six times. Patrick Mahomes was the first to win it multiple times, with Lamar Jackson being the second.
| Season | Player | Team |
| 2003 | Steve McNair | Tennessee Titans |
| 2015 | Cam Newton | Carolina Panthers |
| 2018 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2019 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2022 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2023 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens |

## Playoff starters

In 1974, James Harris became the first black quarterback to start and win an NFL playoff game. Midway through the 1976 season, Harris was benched by his team's owner, Carroll Rosenbloom, who explained his decision by telling the press, "Unfortunately, the quarterback position is controversial enough without adding the color element." After retiring, Harris became an executive for four teams and earned a Super Bowl ring in 2000 with the Baltimore Ravens.
Warren Moon, who made seven playoff appearances, was the first black quarterback elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. During his NFL career (1984–2000), he was the first black quarterback on four different teams.
The 2023–2024 playoffs featured six starting black quarterbacks, the most in NFL history.
In the 2024–2025 playoffs, there were seven starting black quarterbacks, the most in NFL history, and this included three of the four starting QBs in the Conference Championship round.
* James Harris
* Randall Cunningham
* Daunte Culpepper
* Aaron Brooks
* Steve McNair
* Quincy Carter
* Doug Williams
* Kordell Stewart
* Warren Moon
* Shaun King
* Michael Vick
* David Garrard
* Donovan McNabb
* Cam Newton
* Robert Griffin III
* Russell Wilson
* Colin Kaepernick
* Teddy Bridgewater
* Dak Prescott
* Tyrod Taylor
* Deshaun Watson
* Lamar Jackson
* Patrick Mahomes
* Jalen Hurts
* C. J. Stroud
* Jordan Love

### Most playoff wins

| Player | Team(s) | Wins |
| Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs | 15 |
| Russell Wilson* | Seattle Seahawks | 9 |
| Donovan McNabb* | Philadelphia Eagles | 9 |
| Jalen Hurts | Philadelphia Eagles | 6 |
| Steve McNair* | Tennessee Titans | 5 |
| Kordell Stewart* | Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 |
*Indicates a quarterback who played for other teams but did not win a playoff game for them.

## Super Bowl starters

In 1982, a players' strike cut the NFL season short to nine games. When a second strike occurred in 1987, the NFL, not wanting to lose games, hired replacement players. That year, black quarterbacks in the league tripled in number.
On September 20, 1987, Doug Williams became the first black quarterback to start a game for the Washington Redskins, the team that had been segregated for so long by its former owner, George Preston Marshall. Before starting for Washington, Williams had been drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and led them to three playoff appearances in three years. Williams joined the Redskins in the 1986 season, when he threw only one pass (incomplete). He played backup for most of the 1987 season, but outperformed the first-string quarterback, and was made starting quarterback for the playoffs. On January 31, 1988, he became the first black quarterback to start in the Super Bowl, and a few hours later, the first to win it, ironically wearing the Super Bowl ring of the last team in the league to integrate black players. Williams threw for 340 yards and four touchdowns–Super Bowl records at the time–and was named Super Bowl MVP. He was benched the next season and retired shortly thereafter.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the seventh black quarterback to start a Super Bowl. The combined Super Bowl records of black quarterbacks is 5–7. Williams, Mahomes and Hurts are to date the only players to win the Super Bowl MVP award. Only Mahomes and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts have started multiple Super Bowls. In 2023, Mahomes became the first to start three Super Bowls. With the Chiefs' win, Mahomes became the first black quarterback to win two Super Bowls, as well as to win two MVP awards. The following year, he became the first black quarterback to repeat as Super Bowl champion.
Super Bowl LVII also marked the first time that both Super Bowl starting quarterbacks were black: Patrick Mahomes started for the Kansas City Chiefs, while Jalen Hurts started for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are the first team to have two different black starting quarterbacks start a Super Bowl.
Black quarterbacks in the Super Bowl :
| Quarterback | Result/Super Bowl | Team |
| Doug Williams | Won Super Bowl XXII (MVP) | Washington Redskins |
| Steve McNair | Lost Super Bowl XXXIV | Tennessee Titans |
| Donovan McNabb | Lost Super Bowl XXXIX | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Colin Kaepernick | Lost Super Bowl XLVII | San Francisco 49ers |
| Russell Wilson | Won Super Bowl XLVIII Lost Super Bowl XLIX | Seattle Seahawks |
| Cam Newton | Lost Super Bowl 50 | Carolina Panthers |
| Patrick Mahomes | Won Super Bowl LIV (MVP) Lost Super Bowl LV Won Super Bowl LVII (MVP) Won Super Bowl LVIII (MVP) Lost Super Bowl LIX | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Jalen Hurts | Lost Super Bowl LVII Won Super Bowl LIX (MVP) | Philadelphia Eagles |

### Gallery

* Doug Williams
* Steve McNair
* Donovan McNabb
* Colin Kaepernick
* Russell Wilson
* Cam Newton
* Patrick Mahomes
* Jalen Hurts

## Full list

In 2000, Doug Williams, Warren Moon, Marlin Briscoe and James Harris formed the Field Generals, a fraternity for black quarterbacks.
Black starting quarterbacks in the NFL :
| Quarterback | Years active | Team |
| Fritz Pollard | 1920–1926 | Akron Pros, Milwaukee Badgers, Hammond Pros, Providence Steam Rollers, Akron Indians |
| Joe Lillard | 1932–1933 | Chicago Cardinals |
| George Taliaferro | 1950–1955 | New York Yanks, Dallas Texans, Baltimore Colts, Philadelphia Eagles |
| Marlin Briscoe | 1968 | Denver Broncos |
| James Harris | 1969–1981 | Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers |
| Joe Gilliam | 1972–1975 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Dave Mays | 1976–1978 | Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills |
| J. J. Jones | 1975 | New York Jets |
| Parnell Dickinson | 1976 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Vince Evans | 1977–1983, 1987–1995 | Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Raiders/Oakland Raiders |
| Doug Williams | 1978–1982, 1986–1989 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins |
| Warren Moon | 1984–2000 | Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs |
| Randall Cunningham | 1985–2001 | Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens |
| Reggie Collier | 1986–1987 | Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Willie Totten | 1987 | Buffalo Bills |
| Rodney Peete | 1989–2004 | Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers |
| Andre Ware | 1990–1993 | Detroit Lions |
| Major Harris | 1990 | Los Angeles Raiders |
| Jeff Blake | 1992, 1994–2005 | New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears |
| Steve McNair | 1995–2007 | Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens |
| Kordell Stewart | 1995–2005 | Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens |
| Tony Banks | 1996–2001, 2003–2005 | St. Louis Rams, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins, Houston Texans |
| Ray Lucas | 1996–2003 | New England Patriots, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens |
| Charlie Batch | 1998–2001, 2003, 2005–2012 | Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Donovan McNabb | 1999–2011 | Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings |
| Akili Smith | 1999–2002 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Daunte Culpepper | 2000–2009 | Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions |
| Aaron Brooks | 1999–2006 | Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders |
| Anthony Wright | 1999–2001, 2003, 2005–2007 | Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants |
| Shaun King | 1999–2004 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals |
| Spergon Wynn | 2000–2001 | Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings |
| Jarious Jackson | 2000–2003 | Denver Broncos |
| Henry Burris | 2001–2002 | Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears |
| Quincy Carter | 2001–2004 | Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets |
| Michael Vick | 2001–2006, 2009–2015 | Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Rohan Davey | 2002–2005 | New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals |
| David Garrard | 2002–2010 | Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets |
| Byron Leftwich | 2003–2007, 2009, 2012 | Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Seneca Wallace | 2006, 2008–2011, 2013 | Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers |
| Quinn Gray | 2004–2008 | Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs |
| Cleo Lemon | 2006–2007 | San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Jason Campbell | 2005–2013 | Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns |
| Vince Young | 2006–2013 | Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles |
| Tarvaris Jackson | 2006–2013 | Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks |
| JaMarcus Russell | 2007–2009 | Oakland Raiders |
| Troy Smith | 2007, 2010 | Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Dennis Dixon | 2009–2010 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Josh Johnson | 2009, 2011, 2018, 2021 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins |
| Pat White | 2009 | Miami Dolphins |
| Josh Freeman | 2009–2013, 2015 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts |
| Joe Webb | 2010–2011, 2017 | Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills |
| Thad Lewis | 2012–2013 | Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills |
| Cam Newton | 2011–2021 | Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots |
| Colin Kaepernick | 2011–2016 | San Francisco 49ers |
| Terrelle Pryor | 2012–2013 | Oakland Raiders |
| Robert Griffin III | 2012–2014, 2016, 2019–2020 | Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens |
| Russell Wilson | 2012–present | Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers |
| EJ Manuel | 2013–2017 | Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders |
| Geno Smith | 2013–2014, 2016–2017, 2021–present | New York Jets, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks |
| Teddy Bridgewater | 2014–2015, 2018–2024 | Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions |
| Tyrod Taylor | 2015–2018, 2020–2021, 2023 | Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans, New York Giants |
| Jameis Winston | 2015–2019, 2021–2022, 2024–present | Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns |
| Dak Prescott | 2016–present | Dallas Cowboys |
| Jacoby Brissett | 2016–2017, 2019, 2021–2022, 2024–present | New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns |
| Brett Hundley | 2017 | Green Bay Packers |
| Deshaun Watson | 2017–2020, 2022–present | Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns |
| DeShone Kizer | 2017 | Cleveland Browns |
| Patrick Mahomes | 2017–present | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Lamar Jackson | 2018–present | Baltimore Ravens |
| Kyler Murray | 2019–present | Arizona Cardinals |
| Dwayne Haskins | 2019–2020 | Washington Redskins / Football Team |
| P. J. Walker | 2020, 2023 | Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns |
| Jalen Hurts | 2020–present | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Justin Fields | 2021–present | Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Trey Lance | 2021–2022 | San Francisco 49ers |
| Jordan Love | 2021, 2023–present | Green Bay Packers |
| Tyler Huntley | 2021–present | Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins |
| Malik Willis | 2022, 2024–present | Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers |
| Bryce Perkins | 2022 | Los Angeles Rams |
| Desmond Ridder | 2022–present | Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders |
| Joshua Dobbs | 2022–2023 | Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings |
| Anthony Brown | 2022 | Baltimore Ravens |
| Anthony Richardson | 2023–present | Indianapolis Colts |
| C. J. Stroud | 2023–present | Houston Texans |
| Bryce Young | 2023–present | Carolina Panthers |
| Dorian Thompson-Robinson | 2023–present | Cleveland Browns |
| Jaren Hall | 2023 | Minnesota Vikings |
| Caleb Williams | 2024–present | Chicago Bears |
| Jayden Daniels | 2024–present | Washington Commanders |
| Spencer Rattler | 2024–present | New Orleans Saints |
| Michael Penix Jr. | 2024–present | Atlanta Falcons |
| Only seasons and teams with game starts are listed. ||||