The value and evolution among Black backup quarterbacks in the NFL

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The 16 is an ongoing essay series on the record number of Black quarterbacks starting in the NFL during the 2025 season.

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RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York became the Mecca of African American quarterbacks during the offseason when the city’s two professional football franchises signed four Black quarterbacks: The Jets signed Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor as his backup; the Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston as his backup.

The calculus changed earlier this week when the Giants — pressured by fan demand and compelled by mediocre performances — benched Wilson and named rookie Jaxson Dart the starter.

While the switch to Dart came earlier than expected, it was inevitable. Virtually from the beginning of preseason, fans and media began beating the drum for Dart, the blonde first-round pick from the University of Mississippi. Frankly, I was pulling for Wilson to hold off the posse as long as possible, though I knew Wilson faced a steep uphill climb.

Wilson became the first Black quarterback to start the regular season in Giants franchise history, but he didn’t help matters by stumbling out of the block with mediocre performances in two of the team’s first three games.

Going back to last season’s tenure with Pittsburgh when Wilson lost his last five starts, the three losses this season stretched his losing streak to eight games. The die was finally cast in a home game against the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday. With boos cascading from the rafters at Met Life Stadium, the Giants were forced to make the change.

So, now Giants fans will get the red meat they crave as Dart becomes the ninth quarterback to start for them since the start of the 2020 season.

The organization is hoping Dart performs a miracle like Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud did in 2023, when he replaced Davis Mills and became NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Giants hope Dart will be Brock Purdy, who in 2022 replaced Jimmy Garoppolo and led the 49ers to the playoffs. The Giants hope Dart will be Dak Prescott, who in 2016 replaced Tony Romo and has been the Dallas Cowboys’ starter ever since.

Or it could be yet another decision that backfires, like allowing running back Saquan Barkley to leave for Philadelphia or chasing newly revitalized Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones out of town.

In any event, for the time being, Wilson’s backup status gives New York’s two pro franchises three Black backups. Taylor and Winston have embraced their roles, not only as backups but as mentors to young quarterbacks.

In a season when half of the NFL’s starting quarterbacks are African American, the idea that a growing number can also be backups is extraordinary in its own right. ESPN broadcaster and former Howard University quarterback Jay Walker remembers being cautioned in 1994 that being a backup was not an option for a Black quarterback.

“Shack and Doug told me there was no such thing as a Black backup,” said Walker, referring to James Harris and Doug Williams.

Walker was drafted in the seventh round of the 1994 draft by the New England Patriots. He eventually found his way to the Minnesota Vikings, where both the head coach, Dennis Green, and the offensive coordinator, Ray Sherman, were Black.

Still, Walker recalls a conversation with an offensive lineman who admitted to Walker that he had never played in front of a Black quarterback.

“And he was African American,” Walker said. “No telling what the other linemen were thinking.”

Thirty-one years later, it’s unlikely that offensive linemen — even at college football powers — have not played alongside a Black quarterback, or at the very least someone who played with the wide-open style associated with Black quarterbacks.

A burgeoning population of Black backups, however, is still something of a new concept.

In the past, it was unheard of that a Black quarterback would be carrying around a clipboard and wearing a headset. Either he was starting and starring or was not playing. But as the number of African American starters has increased, many teams have seen value in having stylistically similar quarterbacks backing them up.

The journeys of Taylor and Winston tell a fascinating story of how opportunities at the position have evolved. Six NFL teams have Black backups: The Jets and Giants, the Seattle Seahawks (Jalen Milroe), the Los Angeles Chargers (Trey Lance) and the Green Bay Packers (Malik Willis).

Winston, a Heisman Trophy winner and first-round draft pick of Tampa Bay in 2015, was mostly a starter for the first five seasons of his NFL career. Ultimately, injuries and interceptions relegated him to a series of backup roles — first with New Orleans, then with the Cleveland Browns, and now with the Giants. Unlike Winston, Taylor’s career has seen him go in and out of the starting lineup for a number of teams. He has become a well-respected and valued backup throughout the league.

Once upon a time, the backup role seemed to be the lone preserve of veteran white quarterbacks, whose primary role was to either serve an apprenticeship or finish up a career.

The tipping point came in 2004, when the Jacksonville Jaguars carried three African American quarterbacks: David Garrard was the starter, Byron Leftwich was the backup, and Quinn Gray was QB3. Perhaps it was no coincidence that James Harris was the team’s vice president of player personnel. Harris made NFL history in 1969 when he became the first African American quarterback to start a regular season NFL game.

Today, Gray is the head football coach at Albany State University. He said the three never thought about their presence as ice breakers.

“We were there to do a job,” he said Monday during a phone interview. “The quarter-blacks. That’s what our teammates called us. In the grand scheme of things, it was something that a lot of other people made something out of, versus the people in the room. We were there just to compete and to do a job.”

In retrospect, Gray knows that he, Gerrard and Leftwich were part of a changing landscape.

“Over the years, after you look back and you think about it, it was a really important thing to do back then,” he said. “During that time, it was absolutely unheard of, and to now know that half the starting quarterbacks in the NFL are Black, and then to know that there’s several backup quarterbacks that are Black now, that’s a feat in itself.”

Winston embraces the backup role as part of the overall experience of being a Black quarterback in the NFL. He is well-versed in the history.

Born in Bessemer, Alabama, Winston said his Southern roots made him especially attuned to the history of African American quarterbacks. He knew about Steve McNair in Tennessee, Aaron Brooks in New Orleans, Michael Vick in Atlanta, Shawn King in Tampa Bay, Garrard and Leftwich in Jacksonville.

“Absolutely, especially me being from the Deep South,” he said during a recent interview. “I think [geography] matters. I grew up learning about Doug Williams, Warren Moon, Joe Gilliam, Marlin Briscoe, James ‘Shack’ Harris.

“I believe we always have been present, but we weren’t looked at as those dynamic quarterbacks.”

Three weeks ago, Winston and Wilson watched a pair of young Black quarterbacks go at it as Green Bay played Washington during a Thursday Night Football game. Winston reminded Wilson that when he won his Super Bowl championship with Seattle in February 2014, Winston had led Florida State to the national championship a month earlier. That may have been yet another first and it’s not that long ago.

Winston also used the occasion to tell Wilson how important he had been as a source of inspiration to up-and-coming Black quarterbacks.

“I shared with him that the things that you’re doing, the way that you’re winning is allowing young quarterbacks like Jordan Love and Jayden Daniels to have that chance to go out there and show what they can do, to show that they can be the face of the franchise,” Winston said.

“You helped with that because, quite frankly, you’ve got to win to stay in this league in general. Jayden had an amazing first year; Jordan, CJ Stroud, they’re winning.”

They’ve also learned that there’s a quicker hook for Black quarterbacks and the scrutiny is keener. Winston said that’s why he cheers for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson to be successful. Jackson’s dual-threat style of play has been liberating for a new generation of young Black quarterbacks.

Winston recalled that even when he was in high school, he wasn’t totally himself. He was the first African American quarterback at Hueytown High School in 2008.

“I got into a habit of throwing balls that I probably shouldn’t throw, because I wanted to prove that I can throw the football,” he said. “I wanted to prove to them that I was worthy of being in the pocket. One the most beautiful things about Lamar is he’s doing it in a way that no one has ever done it before, and no one will ever catch him, because he’s doing it in a way that only he can do.”

Taylor has had an intriguing career as a starter and a backup. He has started games for six NFL franchises and has often been a bridge to a franchise’s next quarterback. Taylor was drafted in 2011 by Baltimore, where he was Joe Flacco’s backup. He left the Ravens for Buffalo, where he signed as a free agent and took over the starting job. In 2017, Taylor led the Bills to their first playoff berth in 18 years.

He was traded to Cleveland in 2018 to make room for Josh Allen, the Bills’ quarterback of the future. Taylor earned the starting job in Cleveland, but after suffering a concussion he was replaced by rookie Baker Mayfield and never regained his starting job.

Taylor signed with the Chargers in 2019. In 2020, he was named the Chargers’ starter over rookie first-round pick Justin Herbert. In the second game of that season, however, Taylor suffered a rib injury during pregame warmups and Herbert was named the surprise starter. Later, we learned that the Chargers’ team doctor accidentally punctured Taylor’s lung while administering a painkiller injection prior to the game. Later that season, the Chargers announced that Herbert would be the starter for the remainder of the season.

In 2021, Taylor signed a one-year contract with the Houston Texans but lost his starting job to Davis Mills. Taylor joined the New York Giants in 2022, when he signed a two-year contract. During the 2023 season, he relieved Daniel Jones after Jones suffered an injury. In a game against the Washington Commanders, Taylor made history as the first Black quarterback to ever win a game for the Giants.

In 2024, Taylor signed a two-year contract with the New York Jets, first serving as backup to starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. This year, he has embraced his role as mentor to Justin Fields.

Taylor has taken Fields under his wing, just as he recalled Vick did with him when he first reached the NFL. Like Vick, Taylor grew up in the Hampton, Virginia, area and he followed Vick to Virginia Tech.

When Vick was released from prison in 2009 after serving time for dogfighting, the two became close and Vick became a valued mentor.

“The opportunity for us to connect came around the time that he came home from doing his time for what he did,” Taylor said. “We connected and have been connected ever since. We worked out in the offseason, we talked about life, about football, obviously.

“He has a lot of wisdom to share to a young kid like me and plenty of other people, so I definitely appreciate him extending his arm and bringing another young African American quarterback in and teaching me a lot of the things that I know now and a lot of things that I’ve been able to experience.”

Taylor is now passing along those lessons to a generation of younger quarterbacks entering the league. He teaches perseverance and preparation as essential characteristics for a backup quarterback. Taylor has passed his insights along to Fields, who has endured a bumpy start to the beginning of a career that has included stops in Chicago, Pittsburgh and now New York.

“I try to enlighten him on the things that I’ve learned over the years as far as just being able to talk about ball, talk about life,” Taylor said. “Even when he was in Chicago and then last season, I’ve been able to share my experience when I was in Buffalo and kind of seeing some other similarities.”

Mostly, he has spoken to Fields about being true to himself in the face of criticism and disappointment.

“The media can make you feel one way when the reality is something different,” Taylor said. “Being an African American quarterback, you’re an African American first and foremost. That is something that I’ve had to embrace my entire life. It was something that I willingly embraced.

“Obviously in the politics of sports, sometimes you get the wrong end of the deal. It’s not always fair, but that’s not anything that breaks confidence. If anything, you should be motivated to be twice as good just to be recognized with somebody who isn’t.

“It’s tough to say you’re conditioned to it, because that shouldn’t be what we’re conditioned to, but unfortunately that’s the reality. I mean, look at a guy like Lamar Jackson, who is arguably one of the top three players in this league — MVP twice — and they still talk about him in a way that they would never talk about some of his counterparts.”

In a roundabout way, this brings us back to the recently benched Wilson.

A Super Bowl-winning quarterback who for years has carried the banner of success for Black quarterbacks, Wilson may not yet be ready to accept the permanent backup role. With the Nov. 4 trade deadline looming, Wilson’s name has already been mentioned in connection to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals, who lost Joe Burrow for much if not all of the season with an injury, poured $276 million into their star receivers Ja’Mar Chase and Tee Higgins. Wilson might be a better instant fit than backup Jake Browning. The New Orleans Saints are the other team Wilson has been associated with. The struggling Saints are leaning on second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler with rookie Tyler Shough waiting in the wings. Perhaps Wilson will stay in New York along with Winston as Dart’s backup and allow this drama to play out.

For the time being, Giants fans have gotten what they’ve asked for. But as Wilson, Winston and Taylor have learned over the years, every goodbye ain’t gone.