The NFL is adding Netflix to its roster of media partners.
The league’s NFL Films and the streamer are teaming up for a docuseries called Quarterback, which follows three QBs — Patrick Mahomes of the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs, Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings and Marcus Mariota of the Atlanta Falcons — through the 2022 NFL season.
Omaha Productions, the company headed by NFL Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, and Mahomes’ newly formed 2PM Productions will produce the series with NFL Films. The show is the first collaboration between the NFL and Netflix and the latest in the streamer’s crop of sports documentaries that includes Formula 1: Drive to Survive, the tennis-focused Break Point and PGA Tour docuseries Full Swing, along with upcoming shows on the 2022 men’s World Cup and the Six Nations rugby tournament.
“I’m excited for fans to get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at an unforgettable season for the entire Chiefs organization and for my family,” Mahomes said in a statement. “From welcoming home a new baby in the middle of the season to welcoming the Lombardi trophy back to Kansas City, our crew was there for it all. This new Netflix series will show the time, preparation and balance that it takes to be an NFL quarterback and perform on the biggest stage.”
Added Manning, “Playing quarterback in the NFL is a unique experience that has some pretty incredible ups and downs. Thanks to this collaboration with our partners at NFL Films, 2PM Productions and Netflix, fans will be given a unique and intimate look at what life is like as a starting QB.”
The three quarterbacks featured in the series had very different experiences in 2022. Mahomes won his second regular-season MVP award and led the Chiefs to their second Super Bowl in four years. Cousins QB’d a Vikings team that won the NFC North division but lost its first playoff game. Mariota started 13 games for the Falcons, who went 5-8 with him under center, before being benched and then placed on injured reserve with a knee problem late in the season.
“We aim to give our members unprecedented access to the biggest athletes in the world, telling stories that you can’t see anywhere else,” said Brandon Riegg, vp unscripted and documentary series for Netflix. “It doesn’t get any bigger than going inside the huddle with NFL quarterbacks, who hold perhaps the most important and difficult position in sports. We can’t wait to share their stories with our members around the world.”
Quarterback is slated to premiere in the summer. Netflix has ordered just a single season so far, but should it be renewed, it would focus on different players in subsequent seasons. Omaha Productions and 2PM Productions would remain on board.
Manning executive produces the series with NFL Films’ Ross Ketover, Pat Kelleher and Keith Cossrow.
Source: Hollywood
