After landing on Netflix earlier in July and earning reviews of 8.1/10 on IMDB and 4.5/5 from Google Reviews, The Quarterback is already prepping for season two. The show offers an inside perspective on what it takes to be one of the best quarterbacks in the world, following players around for the course of the season as they take time off to have fun with family members and teammates, focus on the minute details that make them succeed like proper nutrition and exercise, and impart some of their football wisdom on audience members, all while NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and gregarious personality Peyton Manning does his best to get these answers out of them.
Who’s Next?
There are only so many quarterbacks in the league at any time, of course, so rumors are flying about who the next season will feature. The first season follows Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota in an attempt to get behind the scenes of what being a team’s signal caller entails.
However, a long list is already forming of quarterbacks that have reportedly turned down the offer to appear in Season Two: Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears, Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins have all declined to appear. For a show reliant on star power, the slight from some of the best-rising quarterbacks in the league has to sting.
Holding Out Hope
For players and teams worried that the time spent on becoming a Netflix star could take away from a quarterback’s performance, we already have compelling evidence to the contrary. Mahomes won the NFL MVP award with another phenomenal campaign last season, going on to complete a lofty triple crown as he led the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl title and won the MVP award for the big game as well, all while devoting time to Manning and the Netflix show at the same time. He’s one of the favorites to run it back next season, as his Chiefs have league-best +600 odds of winning it all this season at BetMGM sportsbook. Mahomes is listed at +650 to win a second consecutive MVP award, good for second: be sure to use a BetMGM Kansas Bonus Code if you want to bet on Mahomes, the Chiefs, or any other sport or team this season so that you know you’re locking in the best possible odds of winning big.
With those lofty aspirations for Mahomes, it’s clear that taking part in Quarterback doesn’t have a negative impact on the signal callers it features in fact, the opportunity to pick the brain of Manning, one of the best quarterbacks of all time (especially as it pertains to reading defenses) in a one-on-one setting should far outweigh the potential distractions the show could cause.
Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow initially appeared to decline an invite to the show but later went back on that statement, appearing to leave the door open. If Burrow can change his mind, it’s possible that Manning (again, famous for his outgoing personality) could sway some of the other signal callers who feel reluctant to change their minds.
What’s Next for the Show?
Perhaps one of the most surprising things about Quarterback’s debut season was the way that Mariota and Cousins helped carry the show. When audiences first heard about it, many expected Mahomes to do the heavy lifting as one of the brightest stars in the sport, a man already climbing up the all-time leaderboards by leaps and bounds through just five seasons as a starter in the pros.
Cousins (famous for his journeyman status as a player who’s good but not great) and Mariota (barely holding on to a roster spot in the NFL) won over quite a few football fans with their personalities and perspectives.
The premise of Quarterback is simple, on the face of it, but if Manning struggles to bring in new stars, he may need to change tactics in order to continue renewing the show for another season. Bringing in a mobile quarterback like Jackson or Hurts would be one such wrinkle: bringing in a rookie would be yet another, though it could be tough to balance the challenge of getting up to speed with an NFL playbook while taking time to go in front of the cameras with Manning.