Quarterback officially will be back.
Via AwfulAnnouncing.com, executive producer Peyton Manning said last week during an appearance with Pat McAfee that the show will return in 2024.
“Season two has been greenlit by Netflix,” Manning told McAfee. “We’re excited. We’re hoping [for] more quarterbacks. It’s easier to say yes. I don’t want to hear it’s going to be a distraction, because that’s not true. Patrick Mahomes proved that, right? Kirk Cousins proved that. Marcus [Mariota], the way he handled that, he proved that, right?”
Franky, I don’t want to hear it’s not going to be a distraction. Of course it’s a distraction. But that’s OK. The sport is rife with distractions, starting with the man lined up across from you on every play.
Some distractions are worth the distracting. Each of this year’s quarterbacks — Mahomes, Cousins, Mariota — largely boosted their images by participating in the show.
So here’s the real question. Who will be doing it for 2024?
Having a franchise-level quarterback (Mahomes), a quarterback from tier two (Cousins), and a veteran at a crossroads (Mariota) worked. Under that formula, how about Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, and Derek Carr?
There are plenty of other choices that would make for a great show. It’s easier to list those that wouldn’t, frankly. Here are the three I’d select: Aaron Rodgers, Anthony Richardson, and Tua Tagovailoa.
The challenge becomes persuading players and teams to submit to it. Manning has the juice and the cachet to get people to say yes. But there’s no Hard Knocks-style formula (yet) that could compel someone to do it.
Frankly, the league should consider coming up with one. Quarterback is already better and more meaningful than Hard Knocks. NFL training camps are the same-old, cookie-cutter stuff. Quarterbacks are unique human beings, with different situations and stresses and stories. The audience learns things they didn’t know, and that they couldn’t have predicted.
Given the importance of the quarterback position to the sport, Quarterback instantly has become the NFL’s most important show. The NFL needs to cajole three compelling quarterbacks and their teams to agree to submit to it in 2023.