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Under Center, Under Scrutiny: The Black Quarterback’s Fight for the Pocket

On a Sunday in late 2025, four of the top five quarterbacks in NFL passer rating were Black. Two decades earlier, that sentence would have read like fiction. Go back further, to the 1960s, and most football executives would have called it impossible. The quarterback […]

By Devario Johnson Madison Ave Magazine  · Entertainment 35 min read
Black Quarterback | Madison Ave Magazine

On a Sunday in late 2025, four of the top five quarterbacks in NFL passer rating were Black. Two decades earlier, that sentence would have read like fiction. Go back further, to the 1960s, and most football executives would have called it impossible. The quarterback position carried a quiet rule for most of American football history. Black players could throw, run, and lead their college teams to championships. Then they reached the pros, and coaches moved them to receiver or cut them outright.

This history did not end with one dramatic breakthrough. It moved in stops and starts, across several leagues, and it is still moving today. Understanding the current wave of Black starting quarterbacks requires understanding the century of resistance that came before it.

DEVARIO JOHNSON

Devario Johnson is the founder and creative lead of Madison Avenue Magazine and Derek Madison Media, where he shapes culture through editorial storytelling, original photography, and platform design. As a fashion editor, media entrepreneur, and senior technology leader, he blends style, innovation, and narrative across every venture. As a former world-class athlete, he brings the same discipline and vision to all his creative pursuits.