(Photo courtesy of BuzzerBlog).
The 2023-2024 season revealed some intriguing statistics: 44% of starting quarterbacks in the NFL are white. Read that article here. As aforementioned last year, research on racial stacking shows that QBs are predominantly white, and there are still very real prejudices against players of color. Particularly those who play a position that is outside of the “status quo.” We aren’t undermining any of the realities in the NFL. However, this is a unique opportunity to get to know our QBs and learn more about and celebrate each player’s unique ethnic backgrounds this time around. Let’s get into it!
The NFL’s AFC East
The Buffalo Bills
Assuming the Buffalo Bills are not creating body doubles for all of their players, Josh Allen is still just white. He has Swedish roots. Adjö!
Miami Dolphins
Tuanigamanuolepola “Tua” Tagovailoa is still the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins. It remains to be seen for how long. He should retire before another concussion forces him to. Either way, Tua was born and raised in Hawaii and is of Samoan descent.
The QB is often called by his nickname “Uce,” a slang term for brother in Samoan. We discovered that when his former teammate Nick Chubb said, “The Uce is Loose,” after Tagovailoa debuted his cornrows in the locker room. According to Tua, his hair is unruly, and he needed a way to contain the mane while he tried growing it out. He had rave reviews from his wife and his teammates. The more you know.
New York Jets
Besides being partially Dolphin (if you know, you know), Aaron Rodgers is also English, Irish, German, Scottish, and Cherokee Native American. There is some disagreement about Rodgers being Native American on his mother’s side, but we would rather represent all potential cultures than overlook one. However, he will be just white for our statistical purposes for now. Our final answer on what Aaron Rodgers is? Still dolphin.
New England Patriots
In case you didn’t have a good look at the Patriots QB since he was getting sacked so often, the man leading the way was rookie Drake Maye. There’s not a lot we know about Maye besides his dietary preference for a lot of greens, specifically grass during games. Another thing we don’t know is his ethnic background. I think we can make an educated guess, though.
The AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs
Contrary to common belief, Mahomes’ Kermit the Frog voice does not indicate an aquatic background. He is half white and half Black. Despite the haters, Patrick Mahomes has been vocal about his pride in his ethnic background in this quote in his interview with GQ:
“I’ve seen how people, on Twitter, have tweeted and said, ‘Oh, you’re not full Black.’ But I’ve always just had the confidence and believed in who I am. And I’ve known that I’m Black. And I’m proud to be Black. And I’m proud to have a white mom too. I’m just proud of who I am. And I’ve always had that confidence in myself.”
We love to see it. You would have to have a high level of confidence to be one of the best QBs in NFL history (and no, I’m not a Chiefs fan—far from it).
Justin Herbert
You have one chance to guess what Justin Herbert’s ethnicity is. If you didn’t guess Irish, Portuguese, and Hawaiian, then you got it wrong. Sometimes if you really look, you can almost pinpoint it.
Denver Broncos
Bo Nix’s ethnic background is unknown. European feels like a safe guess. Something we do know? He’s a Pisces. Should we make a horoscope article too? Sound off in the comment section!
Las Vegas Raiders
We don’t know much about Aidan O’Connell’s background either. The assumption from most sources is that he is Irish-American. I wonder how they got that idea. That is likely true due to O anything being a signifier. However, O’Connell hasn’t discussed it all himself. We will keep our eyes peeled around Saint Patrick’s Day. That tan has me second-guessing it’s all Irish blood flowing through his veins. If it is, he seriously needs to hand out his tanning tips.
AFC North of the NFL
Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson has discussed the challenges of being a Black quarterback. He didn’t mention anything else, so we’ll assume that’s everything in his background. A great article about the implicit bias that Jackson experiences in the NFL due to having a darker complexion, southern roots, and unique cadence and diction that don’t match the “status quo” for quarterbacks traditionally. We stan for Lamar Jackson!
Pittsburgh Steelers
We discussed Russell Wilson’s ethnicity in last season’s article. We have the details down to the percentages. 62% African, 36% European, 1% West Asian, and 1% Central Asian. And 100% awesome. You all need to put respect on his name after he got trashed during his stay with the Denver Broncos.
Cincinnati Bengals
Mr. Slim Shady NSYNC is Belgian, Swiss-German, Czech, and French. Rumor has it that he raps and sings in at least four languages, one of which is football.
Cleveland Browns
Jameis Winston is African American and polar bear. It’s the only explanation for his obsession with the snow during the Browns game against the Steelers this season.
The NFL’s AFC South
Houston Texans
Despite some odd controversy over whether C.J. Stroud is of mixed race or entirely African American, we’re going to go with what Stroud identifies as since it’s his background. Stroud says he is Black. In case people didn’t know, someone can be fully African American and still be lighter in complexion, folks.
Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson is probably technically the starting quarterback for the Colts season, but he said he’s too tired to be in this article right now. He is African American. Italian-American 40-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco brought grace and maturity to a football team and novice QB that desperately needed it.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Trevor Lawrence is in the same category with Bo Nix, Drake Maye, and Aidan O’Connell: ambiguous white. We do know Lawrence is 100% heart with the way he plays through injuries and puts it all on the line for a team that doesn’t do the same for him.
Tennessee Titans
If the mayo obsession didn’t tip you off, then we’ll state it here: Will Levis is all white. And really needs to upgrade his food preference game.
The NFL’s NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts is African American. He made history by being a starting quarterback in the first Super Bowl with two starting Black quarterbacks.
Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels is African American. His strong family roots, incredible intelligence, and athletic capabilities are all leading to him being one of the best rookie QBs to ever do it. And he was outshone by some of the other QBs in his draft class, too. The Commanders and Daniels’ have the last laugh on that one.
Dallas Cowboys
Despite Dak Prescott getting one of the most legendary contracts in the NFL ever, he wasn’t around to play for most of the 2024 season. As a result, Cooper Rush was the starter for all intents and purposes.
That bright red hair is suggesting some Irish or Scottish heritage. Either way, he’s a nondescript white guy like many of our QBs in this article.
New York Giants
Danny Dimes is not just 100% an embarrassment to the NFL; he is also allegedly English, French, Scottish, German, and Dutch.
NFC West
Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford is white. So white.
Seattle Seahawks
Despite Geno Smith having been in the NFL since 2013, he has mostly stayed under the radar. He’s been the starting QB for three seasons now, and it still feels like we know nothing more. What do we know about his ethnicity? He is African American, with his family originating from Bimini in the Bahamas.
Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray has been quietly representing an extremely overlooked group in the NFL—Asian Americans. Murray is proudly African American and also Korean American. He has mentioned that things like putting the Korean flag on his helmet help him feel like he is able to express that side of his background and also pay tribute to his mother’s background. It’s wonderful that he is so open about all aspects of himself!
San Francisco 49ers
Brock Purdy represents some pretty underrepresented groups in the NFL. He is Italian, Armenian, and Mexican. As a rare representative of the Hispanic community, we stan for Brock Purdy. He helps communicate the message that the NFL is for everyone—even if you are Mr. Irrelevant.
NFC North of the NFL
Detroit Lions
Jared Goff’s last name is Celtic for Smith. The one name that is more nondescript than Goff. We stan for Goff, though—he has worked incredibly hard and has taken the blows the NFL has delivered to them (Sean McVay) with grace and poise.
Minnesota Vikings
It’s unclear what Sam Darnold’s ethnic background is. He likely comes from a similar region as Cooper Rush. You don’t get that red hair from anywhere.
Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love is black and white. His father, Orbin, was African American and a police sergeant before he passed away from suicide when he was 51. Jordan was only 14 when that traumatizing event occurred. His mother, Anna is white and also was a police officer. You see Anna supporting her son at games all the time ever since he became a NFL mogul.
Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams has a fascinating ethnic background. It’s thought that he is African American and Indigenous. Williams has been outspoken about his African American and Native American roots. He is very proud of his ethnicities, and so are we!
Rumor has it that his mother is of Hispanic descent, but Williams has never mentioned that, and since he is so open and in touch with his background, if he was, we would likely all know about it. It’s more likely that’s an assumption from fans when it comes to William’s mother’s ethnicity. We’ll hold that thought when it comes to William’s background until the family specifically speaks out about it.
NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield is too busy proving the Cleveland Browns made the worst decision of their franchise to drop which kind of European he is. That’s ok; we’ll wait!
Atlanta Falcons
In the words of last year’s article, Kirk Cousins’s K-Mart button-up shirts told us that he is white, white. And the shirts are never wrong.
Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young is doing a Russell Wilson and revitalizing his career. He went from subpar to a force to be reckoned with in the 2024-2025 NFL season. He is African American and Mexican American. He talks more about his Mexican roots here. We love to see the representation!
New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr is white. It’s unclear if his permanent eyeliner look is natural or maybe it’s Maybelline. Carr may also be Superman’s little, less skilled brother because he also tries to fly, but instead he dives into the ground and breaks bones. And somehow he doesn’t have the sense to stop trying to fly either. It is what it is.
Summary
In conclusion, the NFL is not a particularly diverse place. However, it may be more than what we originally thought. With 50% being not European American, we can see a decrease in diversity in comparison to last year. We also have some representation we want to highlight since it’s so crucial. We have 16 white QBs, 8 Black QBs, and 8 that represent multiple ethnicities. There is a small representation from the Hispanic, Polynesian, Indigenous, and Asian communities. We can do better, folks. We can and should. Is there any QB’s background that surprised you? Sound off below!
