Peyton Manning and Omaha Productions partnered with NFL Films to produce a new Netflix sports series titled Quarterback, which gives viewers an inside look into the lives of NFL quarterbacks. The eight-part docuseries releases on July 12 and features Marcus Mariota, Kirk Cousins and reigning Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes. In a recent interview with Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post, Manning expressed how the project came together and the importance of showcasing the bonafide conductor on the field.
“The last thing we wanted to be was a distraction, and that was our promise,” Manning said. “We hope to continue this show in future seasons. In fact our pitch is, ‘If you do this show, we guarantee you’ll win the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl MVP.’”
While there is an ostensible amount of hyperbole in the pitch, the show does not disappoint with comprehensive access into areas in the lives of the players that are typically off limits. For example, cameras followed Cousins when he was candidly speaking with a sports psychologist and saw chiropractors to alleviate pain he suffered throughout the season. Additionally, Mariota lost his starting quarterback job with the Atlanta Falcons and decided to undergo season-ending surgery of his own choosing without consulting the team’s medical staff.
Mahomes was eager to participate in the show because of the memories it would engender for his children, but asked Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid for his blessing before he went through with the media request. The show has quarterbacks in different situations and stages in their careers, and also contains various personalities from sports media to enhance the storytelling.
Colin Cowherd, Jason McIntyre, Kyle Brandt and Rich Eisen are just some of the names that contributed to the project as narrators, all of whom have a vast amount of knowledge and expertise as it pertains to the NFL. Moreover, they have all expressed pointed opinions towards each player on a variety of different platforms and helped shape and/or make sense of the narrative surrounding players. Manning himself originally voiced the episodes, but in the end, he felt having media personnel involved made more sense.
“They took it out and just had me in the beginning setting the stage,” Manning said. “From that point, it was game on. This is what people were saying that week.”
