Peacock docuseries ‘Field Generals’ tells the history of Black NFL QBs, and features several prominent Eagles
Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, and Michael Vick are among the former Eagles to appear in the series.
A new docuseries will provide an in-depth look at the history of Black quarterbacks in the NFL. With a history of Black signal callers that spans from John Walton and Randall Cunningham to Jalen Hurts, the Eagles will likely play a starring role.
The first episode of Peacock’s four-part docuseries, Field Generals: History of the Black Quarterback, will premiere on Feb. 5. The remaining episodes of the series, which was executive produced by NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor, will be released on the following Thursdays and close on Feb. 26.
Field Generals: History of the Black Quarterback will document the stories of the league’s pioneering signal callers. It will focus on how race, politics, and culture shaped the playing careers of Black quarterbacks from the AFL-NFL merger to the turn of the 21st century.
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The show will feature interviews with Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick, and Rodney Peete, who all played quarterback for the Eagles. Cunningham, the first Black quarterback to be a starter for the Eagles, enjoyed a 10-year career after joining the team as a rookie in 1985. Peete, McNabb, Vick, and Hurts followed Cunningham for the Eagles.
The series will also feature interviews with non-Eagles, including James Harris, the first Black quarterback to start a playoff game; Warren Moon, the first Black quarterback to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame; and Doug Williams, the first Black quarterback to both start and win a Super Bowl.
“This is truly a brotherhood,” Vick said in the trailer for Field Generals.
Prime Video released a three-part series in 2024 titled Evolution of the Black Quarterback, the first episode of which featured a conversation between Vick and Hurts.
“I do know that the city of Philadelphia is receptive to any quarterback, Black or white, as long as you’re winning,” Vick told The Inquirer in 2024. “Fortunately, we had some great ones, myself, Donovan, Rodney, Randall … I feel like the evolution of the Black quarterback started in Philadelphia.”
Hurts is not listed as an interview subject in Peacock’s announcement of Field Generals. The only active player included is Lamar Jackson, one of two Black quarterbacks to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award twice.
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The other is Patrick Mahomes, who started Super Bowl LIX opposite Hurts. The Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Chiefs was the first time in NFL history two Black quarterbacks started against each other in the Super Bowl.
A record-setting 16 Black quarterbacks started their team’s opening game in 2025. For the first time in the history of the NFL, exactly half its teams had Black starting quarterbacks.
The previous record was set in 2024, when Hurts and Mahomes were among 15 Black quarterbacks to start under center in Week 1.
“As we celebrate the rich history and all the great ones that come before me, you realize how monumental it is for the furtherance of the game and the position,” Hurts said after a screening of Evolution of the Black Quarterback in 2024. “I know this [year] is the record for Black quarterbacks starting in the NFL, and that’s something to be noted because it’s come a long way.”