When the 2024 NFL season began on Thursday night Sept. 5 history greeted the kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium.
Guiding the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, were Black quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.
Before the final seconds of the Monday Night Football game elapsed, the NFL weekend saw a record 15 Black quarterbacks start for their respective teams.
Joining Mahomes and Jackson were Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers; Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles; Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys; Deshuan Watson, Cleveland Brown; Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks; Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers; Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots; Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers; C.J Stroud, Houston Texans; Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts; Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals; Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears; and Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders.
There are 64 starting quarterbacks each NFL week, which meant the grid on opening weekend was 23.4% Black. The African American population in the United States is about 14%.
The NFL has seen the emergence of Black starting quarterbacks surge in recent years.
In Week 1 of the 2023 season, there were 14 Black starters. The previous year there were 11.
The record for Black representation at quarterback has been broken four times in the last five years.
Counting 2024, the record number of Black quarterbacks has been surpassed four of the last five years.
In addition, Black quarterback Russell Wilson was Pittsburgh’s presumptive starter until an injured calf slowed him.
The Packers’ Love was injured in the waning moments of his team’s opening game loss to the Eagles in Brazil. Malik Willis, Black quarterback, has replaced him the past two weeks and posted impressive victories.
The Panthers have benched Young, reducing the number of Black starters by one. Patriots’ rookie quarterback and first-round pick Drake Maye will likely soon replace Brissett.
The NFL of a decade ago did not have 15 Black quarterbacks on all team’s rosters combined. Today, the game’s best, Mahomes, is seeking a third consecutive Super Bowl title.
Jackson has won two Most Valuable Player awards; Prescott is the highest paid NFL player in history; Stroud and Love seem destined for years of stardom.
Murray is projected to have his best season in the NFL; Daniels is the best of the NFL rookie quarterback class; Williams has struggled but posed his best passing numbers in the Bears’ loss to the Colts.
Richardson missed much of last season because of a shoulder injury, and it shows in his passing inaccuracy. But he too has a tremendous future before him.
The late Marlin Briscoe and Joe Gilliam are smiling in heaven. Doug Williams and Vince Evans certainly feel proud.
Their work, and that of overlooked and underappreciated Black quarterbacks in the past, paved the way.
The Reid RoundupEugene “Mercury” Morris passed on Sunday Sept. 22, 2024. The former Miami Dolphis running back was a member of the undefeated Miami Dolphins in 1972 and joined with running backs Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick to form one of the most feared backfields in NFL history…I don’t have a vote but Colorado two-way sensation Travis Hunter is my choice for Heisman Trophy…Malik Willis was maligned as a starting NFL quarterback with the Tennessee Titans. He was dealt to the Green Bay Packers and got revenge on his former team by guiding the Packers to a 30-14 win while subbing for injured Jordan Love…Former Missouri Tiger Nick Bolton is playing All-Pro caliber linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, His fourth-down stop of running back Bijon Robinson sealed the Chiefs’ 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons…The Washington Nationals have a future star in outfielder C.J. Abrams -maybe. Abrams was demoted to the minor leagues last weekend after he reportedly returned to the team hotel at 8 a.m. Friday Sept. 20 after greeting dawn in a Chicago casino. The first pitch of that day’s game was 1:20 p.m. and visiting teams usually arrive at a stadium three to four hours earlier…Markevian “Tink” Hence started 20 games for the St. Louis Cardinals Double A team in Springfield, Mo., and posted a 4-3 record with a 2.71 ERA and 109 strikeouts.
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