PATRICK MAHOMES IS THE STARTING QUARTERBACK FOR THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS. JALEN HURTS IS THE STARTING QUARTERBACK FOR THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES. SUPER BOWL 57 IS SUNDAY, FEB. 12, AT 6:30 P.M. ON FOX. (PHOTO GRAPHIC BY WARREN KING)
by Brandon Walker, For New Pittsburgh Courier
On Sunday, Feb. 12, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts will start at quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, in Super Bowl LVII (57). If you haven’t heard, this will be the first time both teams in a Super Bowl have an African American starting quarterback. Mahomes will be playing in his third Super Bowl appearance while Hurts will be starting his first.
These two are different, with Mahomes genetically blessed with his rocket arm and Houdini-type escapability, and the son of a Major League Baseball pitcher. He was born to play quarterback. Hurts, the son of a football coach, got benched for Tua Tagovailoa in the 2018 college national championship game while playing at Alabama and ever since has been doubted at every turn…until now.
But their stories are similar when “perseverance” comes into play. Mahomes was born to play quarterback, but he was also born to be a pitcher like his father, Patrick Mahomes Sr. He grew up in a big-league clubhouse and was throwing a baseball at 5 years old better than teenagers. He played three sports in high school, and still wanted to play both baseball and football and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers. As Mahomes’ football career progressed, he came to a crossroads when he struggled mightily on the mound as a relief pitcher as a sophomore and made the full-time switch to football.
PATRICK MAHOMES OF THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Mahomes had astonishing numbers in his junior year at Texas Tech, averaging 442.5 yards per game and breaking the single-game record for total yards on offensive in a game (819) in a 66-59 loss to Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners. During the 2017 NFL Draft process, he was criticized for not having the right mechanics, not winning enough games, not having the footwork, and scouts used every excuse to not draft him as high as Mitch Trubisky, the current Steelers’ backup quarterback. However, Mahomes would go into the perfect situation with Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City let him sit and learn under Alex Smith for a year and hone his skills. In 2018, he gained the starting quarterback position, and one league MVP, one Super Bowl MVP, and three All-Pro selections later, it is safe to say he was on his way to stardom.
There’s been some nitpicking recently about Mahomes, however. After he won Super Bowl LIV (54) over the San Francis co 49ers, his performance playing behind a battered line in Super Bowl LV (55) gave him no chance against the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a 31-9 loss. The Chiefs were starting to become the villain team in the NFL due to his brother, Jackson, and his then-fiance, Brittany. Jackson Mahomes disgustingly danced on the number of revered Washington player Sean Taylor, during a game in Washington in 2021. Taylor was killed during a robbery attempt at his home in 2007. As for Brittany (now Patrick Mahomes’ wife), she’s had a history of wild Twitter rants and shows too much entitlement. After the Chiefs lost the AFC Championship game to the Cincinnati Bengals last season, some people started to “dance on his grave,” with unnecessary claims that Mahomes had maxed out his ability. What was he going to do without star receiver Tyreek Hill, who moved on to Miami? Can he overcome a subpar defense? Has he peaked too soon?
JALEN HURTS OF THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
As for Hurts, he was the starting quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide for two years. On college football’s biggest stage, the 2018 national championship game against Georgia, Hurts was benched by his head coach, Nick Saban, in favor of Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa brought Alabama back in a stunning win over Georgia, and grabbed all the fanfare. To his credit, Hurts showed character. He was the ultimate teammate that night and he stayed at Alabama knowing that he was no longer the starter because he wanted to finish his degree in communication and information sciences.
Eventually, Hurts transferred to Oklahoma, where he excelled with 3,851 passing yards, the most in a single season in his college career. Hurts was drafted in the second round in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, right after the Eagles gave quarterback Carson Wentz a four-year, $128-million contract extension and Hurts again had to play backup to begin his career. But Wentz struggled through the season and got benched.
Hurts had his opportunity, and he went through his newcomer struggles as the Eagles went 4-11-1. Hurts was doubted by most people in Philadelphia that he could truly be the long-term starting quarterback of the Eagles. But over time, “Hurts” only “helped” the Eagles. With new head coach Nick Sirianni, Hurts was able to use his legs more while simultaneously improving his pocket presence and passing accuracy. This year, the Eagles started 8-0 and were the talk of the NFL. They earned the top seed in the NFC playoffs and Hurts has been on the center stage ever since.
As these two men make history and follow the legacy of Doug Williams 35 years ago, both Mahomes and Hurts acknowledged how special the moment will be on Sunday, Feb. 12, when the two Black quarterbacks go head to head.
“I think it’s history,” Hurts said to reporters on Feb. 2. “I think it’s something that’s worthy of being noted and it is history. It’s come a long way. I think it’s only been seven African American quarterbacks to play in the Super Bowl, so to be the first for something is pretty cool. I know it will be a good one.”
“I have a lot of respect for the guys that came before me and laid the foundation,” Mahomes said during the NFL’s Opening Night festivities in Arizona, Feb. 6. “There’s so many other greats that battled to get that starting position. So, they gave me the position to be here.”
Who could forget Doug Williams’ masterful performance in Super Bowl XXII (22), a 42-10 win over Denver for the Washington (then-Redskins). The first Black starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl. Since Williams, there have been six Black quarterbacks to start a Super Bowl—Steve McNair, for the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV (34); Donovan McNabb, for the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX (39); Colin Kaepernick, for the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII (47); Russell Wilson, for the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowls XLVIII (48) and XLIX (49); Cam Newton, for the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50; and Mahomes.
Sunday, Feb. 12, will show that Black men are more than capable of leading their teams, and it’s the hope that scouts, front-office personnel and media alike can appreciate what Black quarterbacks can do from Day 1.
(Rob Taylor Jr. contributed to this story.)
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