Here Are The Black Starting Quarterbacks In The NFL In 2026

There was a time when Black NFL quarterbacks were few and far between. Even when talented Black players had the arm, intelligence and leadership required to play the position, many were pushed toward running back, wide receiver or defensive back because of racist assumptions about who could command a huddle and lead an offense.

The progress seen around the NFL today did not happen by accident. It came because generations of Black NFL quarterbacks fought for opportunities that were routinely denied to them. Marlin Briscoe became pro football’s first Black NFL starting quarterback of the modern era when he started for the Denver Broncos in 1968. James “Shack” Harris later became the first Black quarterback to start and win an NFL playoff game, guiding the Los Angeles Rams past Washington during the 1974 postseason.

Doug Williams broke perhaps the sport’s most visible barrier in Super Bowl XXII. Williams became the first Black NFL quarterback to start, win and earn MVP honors in a Super Bowl, throwing for 340 yards and four touchdowns as Washington defeated Denver. Warren Moon took another unconventional path, winning five consecutive Grey Cups in Canada before becoming an NFL star, and in 2006, the first Black NFL quarterback of the modern era was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Those breakthroughs opened doors for Randall Cunningham, Steve McNair, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, Cam Newton and many others. Each challenged the notion that a Black quarterback had to play a particular style. Some won with their legs, some dominated from the pocket and the best combined both while carrying the responsibility of representing something larger than themselves.

That history makes the current state of the league especially significant. Black NFL quarterbacks are no longer treated as curiosities or isolated success stories. They are former MVPs, Super Bowl champions, No. 1 draft picks, franchise cornerstones, established veterans and developing young players attempting to prove they belong.

The number is still fluid because training camp competitions and injuries can change depth charts before Week 1. However, as of today, 15 NFL teams have a Black quarterback projected to start, favored for the position or seriously competing for the job. Here is a closer look at each situation entering the 2026 season.

Patrick Mahomes — Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes enters 2026 facing the most physically demanding comeback of his career. The three-time Super Bowl champion played 14 games last season, throwing for 3,587 yards, 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions before suffering torn ACL and LCL injuries in December. He subsequently underwent surgery, beginning a rehabilitation process that has made his availability for the opening of the season a major question (although all signs point to him being ready for the season opener.

Kansas City missed the playoffs following years of near automatic postseason appearances, so the pressure surrounding Mahomes’ recovery extends beyond his individual health. The Chiefs need him as close to his pre-injury form as possible if they hope to return to the playoffs and ultimately contend for another Super Bowl. Mahomes has already built a Hall of Fame résumé, but guiding Kansas City back from a disappointing and injury-riddled season would add another chapter to it.