The Netflix docuseries “Quarterback” enjoyed tremendous popularity in its first season and has been renewed for a second, but finding subjects has become a major issue for Peyton Manning.
Manning’s media company, Omaha Productions, partnered with the NFL to create a docuseries that followed three different quarterbacks last season to give a close look into each of their lives. Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota were the three subjects for the first season of the show, which was released in July. The first season drew great viewership numbers and ranked third among original streaming shows in its opening week.
The problem is Manning cannot find any quarterbacks who want to take part in the next season. The Hall of Fame quarterback told Julian Sancton of The Hollywood Reporter this week that he keeps getting turned down.
“I’d love for someone to call us back and say, ‘I want to do it.’ I had three starting quarterbacks tell me no yesterday, so I’m swallowing my pride,” Manning admitted.
Manning said the biggest issue has been that many quarterbacks think the show could become a distraction. To that, Manning points to the fact that Mahomes was named NFL MVP last season and went on to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl win.
The pitch has not been enough to persuade anyone yet. With the 2023 NFL season officially kicking off on Thursday night, Manning recently said he and his team are “definitely in the two-minute drill” to find quarterbacks who are willing to have their seasons documented.
“I’ll be perfectly honest: We cast the net out to a lot of quarterbacks,” Manning said. “We tried to do it two years ago and couldn’t get anybody to say yes.”
We already know of one intriguing young quarterback who turned Manning down. At this point, Manning has probably asked most starting quarterbacks and is hoping one of them will have a change of heart.
