All Of The Black NFL Quarterbacks Starting 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.

Lamar Jackson — Baltimore Ravens

Is this finally the year Lamar Jackson and the Ravens put everything together? Baltimore missed the playoffs in 2025, ending its season with a 26-24 loss to Pittsburgh after leading early in the game. Jackson was limited to 13 appearances and missed multiple games because of a hamstring injury while continuing to deal with lower body issues later in the season.

The two-time NFL MVP threw for 2,549 yards during the abbreviated campaign, and his rushing volume fell noticeably compared with his most dynamic seasons. Baltimore still knows what Jackson looks like at his best: an explosive passer and runner capable of taking over a game almost by himself. The next leap is not proving he is elite. It is about staying healthy, getting Baltimore back on track and translating his regular-season brilliance into the deep postseason run that has continued to elude the franchise.

Jalen Hurts — Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts followed his Super Bowl MVP season with a more turbulent 2025 campaign. Philadelphia’s title defense ended immediately in the Wild Card round, where the Eagles lost 23-19 to the San Francisco 49ers. Hurts completed 20 of 35 passes for only 168 yards and one touchdown in the defeat as Philadelphia’s passing offense struggled to generate explosive plays.

He now enters another season with another offensive system, this time under coordinator Sean Mannion. Hurts must also adjust to life without A.J. Brown, who had been his most physically imposing and productive receiving partner. The Eagles still have championship expectations, but Hurts’ ability to build chemistry with a reshaped receiving group and quickly master a new scheme will determine whether Philadelphia can wash away the taste of its early playoff exit.

Jayden Daniels — Washington Commanders

Jayden Daniels’ second NFL season was a dramatic departure from his remarkable rookie campaign. After guiding Washington to the NFC Championship Game as a rookie, the former Heisman Trophy winner was limited to seven games in 2025 and was removed because of injury in four of them. He suffered a knee sprain in Week 2, a hamstring injury in Week 7 and a dislocated elbow in Week 9 before aggravating the elbow and being shut down for the final three games.

Daniels finished with 1,262 passing yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions in a season that never developed a consistent rhythm. Washington’s challenge is determining how much of its decline came from Daniels’ absence and how much reflected larger problems around him. If he remains healthy and continues improving as a passer, the Commanders have a chance to rediscover the identity that carried them within one victory of the Super Bowl two seasons ago.

C.J. Stroud — Houston Texans

C.J. Stroud’s 2025 season ended with the worst game of his professional career. The Texans reached the divisional round after earning the franchise’s first road playoff victory, but Stroud threw a career-high four interceptions in a loss to the New England Patriots. He completed 20 of 47 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown while Houston committed five turnovers overall.

His regular season was steadier than that final performance, as he passed for 3,041 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Still, the playoff meltdown created legitimate questions about whether his brilliant rookie year remains the best version of him or merely the beginning of a longer development process. Stroud now has an opportunity to show that the four-interception performance was a one-off and reestablish himself as the accurate, poised franchise quarterback football observers once raved about.

Caleb Williams — Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams showed his clutch gene throughout a breakout sophomore season. The former Heisman Trophy winner threw for a Bears single-season record 3,942 yards, adding 27 touchdown passes against only seven interceptions as Chicago improved from 5-12 to 11-6 and won the NFC North. Seven of the Bears’ victories came in one-possession games, with Williams repeatedly helping them escape difficult situations late.

His biggest comeback came in the Wild Card round against Green Bay. Williams helped Chicago erase an 18-point halftime deficit and threw the winning touchdown with less than two minutes remaining, sending the Bears to the divisional round before their season ended against the Los Angeles Rams. Now he must expand on that breakout and prove Chicago’s unexpected run was not fool’s gold.

Bryce Young — Carolina Panthers

Just when many critics were ready to count Bryce Young and the Panthers out, Carolina surprisingly won the NFC South. Young threw for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while looking increasingly comfortable in Dave Canales’ offense. He also delivered several clutch performances, including a franchise-record 448 passing yards and three touchdowns in an overtime victory over Atlanta.

Carolina’s season ended in a competitive 34-31 Wild Card loss to the Rams, with Young throwing for 264 yards and accounting for one passing and one rushing touchdown in his playoff debut. The defeat did not erase the progress he showed after a difficult beginning of his career. The Panthers now want to turn their surprising division championship into sustained success, and Young’s continued growth will determine whether they can do it.

Michael Penix Jr. — Atlanta Falcons

For Michael Penix Jr., the two biggest questions remain consistency and health. Penix has regularly shown that he can be at least a capable NFL starter when he is on the field, but his 2025 season ended in Week 11 when he suffered a partially torn ACL in his left knee. The injury required season-ending surgery and marked the third ACL reconstruction of his football career.

Atlanta brought in Tua Tagovailoa to provide legitimate competition and insurance, but injuries to both players have complicated the quarterback situation. Tagovailoa opened camp with back tightness, while Penix had not been cleared for full 11-on-11 work and indicated that complete medical clearance might not arrive until late August. Tua has since returned to team activities, making him the likelier Week 1 starter if Penix is not ready. Penix remains an important part of Atlanta’s long-term plan, but he must first prove that his body will allow him to stay on the field.

Dak Prescott — Dallas Cowboys

Dak Prescott put up massive numbers in 2025, but those numbers did not result in enough victories. The longtime Cowboys quarterback started all 17 games and led the NFL in passing attempts, completions and yards, finishing with 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Dallas nevertheless went 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs.

The contrast defines Prescott’s challenge entering 2026. Dallas does not need him simply to accumulate another impressive collection of statistics; it needs those numbers to produce meaningful wins. With CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and an explosive passing attack around him, Prescott has enough talent to keep the Cowboys among the league’s most productive offenses. The goal now is to turn that production into a playoff return — and eventually the postseason breakthrough that has escaped Dallas for decades.

Jordan Love — Green Bay Packers

Jordan Love delivered one of the best performances of his career in Green Bay’s Wild Card matchup against Chicago. He completed 24 of 46 passes for 323 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, helping the Packers build a 21-3 halftime lead. It was still not enough, as Green Bay suffered a heartbreaking 31-27 loss after allowing its biggest rival to rally in the second half.

The defeat ended a five-game losing streak to close the season and left the Packers with only one playoff victory during Love’s three years as the primary starter. The outlook remains encouraging, however. Green Bay enters 2026 with a more clearly defined receiving hierarchy, tight end Tucker Kraft returning, and a coaching staff that has discussed allowing Love more freedom within the offense. After showing how dangerous he can be in the playoff loss, Love could be positioned for the best season of his career if the Packers consistently put the game in his hands.

Cam Ward — Tennessee Titans

Cam Ward did not collect many victories during his rookie season, but he showed enough flashes to explain why Tennessee selected him No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. Ward started all 17 games and passed for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 80.2 passer rating and 33.2 QBR reflected an uneven year in which promising throws were mixed with growing pains expected from a rookie leading an undermanned offense.

The Titans ranked near the bottom of the NFL in passing production, averaging only 166.1 yards through the air per game. They have since added offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and more receiving talent in an attempt to create a better environment around Ward. The fearless young quarterback now must turn flashes into sustained production and begin making the strides required to become a truly elite player.

Geno Smith — New York Jets

After showing his worth in Seattle and spending one difficult season in Las Vegas, Geno Smith is receiving another opportunity in a place he knows extremely well. The Raiders acquired Smith from Seattle before the 2025 season, but he went 2-13 as a starter while throwing for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns and a league-high 17 interceptions. He was also sacked 55 times before being traded back to the Jets, the organization that originally drafted him in 2013.

Smith’s late-career renaissance remains one of the league’s better persistence stories. In Seattle, he earned two Pro Bowl selections and was named the 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year after leading the league in completion percentage and throwing for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns. The Jets won only three games last season, so even solid quarterback play would represent a meaningful improvement. Smith now has a chance to return to New York as a far more accomplished and confident player than the one who left.

Jacoby Brissett — Arizona Cardinals

Statistically, Jacoby Brissett produced a respectable 2025 season after replacing an injured Kyler Murray. He completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The workload was enormous — 485 attempts in 12 starts — and his 1-11 record showed that the production did not translate into team success.

Brissett enters the new season officially listed atop Arizona’s depth chart. The Cardinals also used the No. 3 overall pick on running back Jeremiyah Love, who should eventually help prevent the offense from leaning so heavily on Brissett’s arm, even though Love opened the preseason depth chart behind Tyler Allgeier. A more balanced offense could make Brissett more efficient and give Arizona a clearer picture of what the veteran can accomplish when he is not being asked to carry the entire attack.

Malik Willis — Miami Dolphins

Malik Willis earned this opportunity by becoming one of the NFL’s most productive backup quarterbacks in Green Bay. After joining the Packers in 2024, Willis performed well whenever called upon during the next two seasons. In 2025, he completed 30 of 35 passes for 422 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while adding another dimension as a runner.

Miami is now giving the former third-round pick a chance to prove he can be the main guy. His athleticism has never been the question; the challenge will be maintaining his efficiency over a full season rather than in carefully selected backup appearances. With a new head coach and quarterback whose best football may still be ahead of him, the Dolphins enter an experimental season. At the very least, Willis’ combination of arm strength and mobility should make them entertaining to watch.

Shedeur Sanders OR Deshaun Watson — Cleveland Browns

Cleveland is the only team on this list without a clear projected starter, Shedeur Sanders remains one of the most polarizing players i the sport after an uneven rookie season in which he completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions over eight appearances. His 18.9 QBR illustrated the extent of his growing pains, but he also produced bright spots — including a 364-yard, three-touchdown passing performance that showed he has legitimate starting ability.

Sanders enters Year 2 attempting to process defenses more quickly, protect the football, and solidify his place as Cleveland’s long-term answer. His primary veteran competition is Deshaun Watson, whose Browns tenure has been repeatedly interrupted by suspension and major injuries. Watson has not played a full season since arriving in Cleveland, but the Browns are giving him an opportunity to show that he can still provide some version of the talent that once made him one of the league’s most productive quarterbacks. Regardless og which player wins the job, the Browns desperately need stability, competence and an infusion of energy from a position that has created constant uncertainty.

The presence of these quarterbacks does not erase the barriers Black players once faced at the position, nor does it mean every outdated stereotype has disappeared. It does, however, illustrate how far the game has moved from an era when a single Black starting quarterback was treated as a historic exception.

Today, Black quarterbacks are helping define what the position looks like. They are pocket passers, improvisers, runners, veterans, champions and developing prospects. The pioneers had to prove that Black men could play quarterback. The players leading teams in 2026 have the freedom — and the — to be judged by what kind of quarterback each one becomes.

RELATED: Meet The 16 Black Starting Quarterbacks In The NFL In 2025