The Super Bowl LVII matchup of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles was the first of its kind, as the quarterbacks in it showed what the future of the NFL might hold.
Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and Jalen Hurts of the Eagles made history, being the first Black quarterbacks to start in a Super Bowl together. However, they don’t only represent racial progress, as both quarterbacks bring a much more dynamic playstyle to the table.
When you think of quarterbacks of the 2010s, you think of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees, among others, most of them tall, white statues. They didn’t move much, but their accuracy and longevity made them NFL legends.
Fast forward to the 2017 NFL Draft, where the Chiefs picked Mahomes as the 10th overall pick out of Texas Tech University. At the time, many analysts believed that the Chiefs had made a mistake.
Bleacher Report’s Mike Tanier believed that their needs on defense were far too large to avoid and that picking Mahomes was a wrong choice.
“They could swap out quarterbacks and remain in the same rut, because they still have too many needs in other areas,” Tanier said.
But his dynamic playmaking proved to be too great. In his first season as a starter, he led the Chiefs to an AFC Championship and won both the NFL Offensive Player of the Year and NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards.
The Chiefs’ bet on Mahomes paid off, and he quickly became one of the league’s best players, beginning the NFL’s transition from an elite tier of “pocket passers” to more elusive quarterbacks.
Hurts was one of these more dynamic quarterbacks selected following Mahomes, being the 53rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He, as previously mentioned, led the Eagles to a Super Bowl in only his third season in Philadelphia.
But it’s not only Mahomes and Hurts lighting up the stage. The Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen threatens Mahomes in the AFC and the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, who was the 2019 NFL MVP.
And with Tom Brady’s retirement following the 2022 season, the generation of quarterbacks who dominated the 2010s is slowly phasing out of the league. That leaves room for more players like Mahomes and Hurts rather than Brees and Manning.
Watching these quarterbacks create plays out of seemingly nothing should excite every fan. Super Bowl LVII was a spectacle to watch, and future Super Bowls should be no different as the NFL enters its most entertaining era of quarterbacks it has had in a while.
