The NFL has come a long way since Fritz Pollard became the league’s first Black quarterback in 1923. Boosted by rookies C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson, the opening week of the 2023 season saw a record 14 Black signal callers take the field.

With the way paved by the likes of Warren Moon, Doug Williams and Donovan McNabb, Russell Wilson had the distinct honor of being just one of two quarterbacks selected in the 2012 NFL draft. He took the league by storm and started to pave the way for others.

“For me to be able to go to back-to-back Super Bowls, and win one of them, I think opened up a lot of doors,” Wilson told Essence magazine. “Now you see guys like Patrick Mahomes who won it; it’s really just us so far, but there’s more to come.”

“What I love to see is guys getting drafted early, and that a lot of teams these days have Black quarterbacks playing for them,” Wilson said. “It’s all across the league, and it’s showing how the National Football League is starting to evolve, change and break down barriers. I think one of the biggest blessings of my career so far is that I’ve been fortunate to be able to open up doors for others, because of what others did for me.”

Eight quarterbacks make up the 2024 draft class, with two (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels) projected to go back-to-back.

2024 won’t be the first time in franchise history that the Steelers have had two Black quarterbacks at the top of the depth chart. In 2010 (the year Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for the first four games), Pittsburgh became the first team to have three on their roster: Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon.