Josh Allen (quarterback)

Allen attended Reedley College, a junior college[7] where one of the football assistant coaches at the time was married to Allen's cousin.[2]

In his only season with Reedley College, Allen led an offense that averaged 452.2 yards of total offense per game to rank No. 9 among all California junior-college teams in total offense. Reedley averaged 285.3 passing yards per game to rank No. 7 among all California junior colleges, scored 39.4 points per game to rank No. 10 in the state, and averaged 166.9 yards rushing to rank 26th. Individually, Allen's 26 touchdown passes tied him for No. 7 among all California junior-college quarterbacks in 2014. He also ranked 20th among California JUCO quarterbacks in passing yards as a freshman, and ranked 42nd in the state in rushing, averaging 66.0 yards per game.[10][3]

Allen did not play in the team's first three games in 2014, but in the next game he ran for four touchdowns after coming off the bench, and soon became the team's starter,[2] throwing for 25 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions for the rest of the season.[3] By then, he had grown to 6'5" and 210 pounds (1.96 m, 95 kg), and his coaches at Reedley thought that he would soon receive many FBS scholarship offers. This proved incorrect; near the end of the season, Allen sent a mass email to every head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and quarterback coach in FBS, but received interest from only a small number of schools. Only Eastern Michigan and Wyoming offered him a scholarship, and Eastern Michigan withdrew its offer when Allen visited Wyoming late in the 2014–15 junior-college signing period.[2][7]

Wyoming's coaches initially visited Reedley to scout another potential transfer,[2] but former Fresno State assistant Dave Brown, who had since become part of the inaugural staff of new Cowboys head coach Craig Bohl, was familiar with Allen, and urged offensive coordinator Brent Vigen to recruit him.[3] While researching Allen, Vigen noticed a large number of parallels between Allen and a quarterback whom he had recruited in 2010 while serving in the same role at North Dakota State—Carson Wentz, who went on to become a starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.[11] Wentz was similar in size to Allen, and also shared Allen's small-town, multi-sport, and late-blooming background.[3] Bohl soon warmed to Allen as a prospect, especially after their initial quarterback prospect committed to Syracuse. Bohl was the only FBS head coach to visit the family farm, and while there, he told Allen's father, "We went all around the country and there's only one quarterback we want and that's your son. He's going to be the face of our program."[2] Despite receiving an offer from Wyoming, Allen made one final pitch to Fresno State's staff, sending a pointed email to an assistant referencing the fact that the team had received a commitment from a quarterback prospect who was both shorter and lighter than Allen was when Fresno State turned him down in high school.[2] After being rebuffed, he committed to Wyoming, enrolling there prior to the 2015 season.[12]

Allen at Mountain West Conference media days in 2017

In his first year at Wyoming, he played in two games and made one start. In his first career start he attempted only four passes before suffering a broken collarbone which ended his season; because the injury occurred early in the season, he qualified for a medical redshirt.[13][14] Allen returned from the injury in 2016 and was Wyoming's starter.[15][16]

After throwing for over 3,200 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2016, he contemplated declaring for the 2017 NFL draft, initially telling his family, girlfriend, and a few friends that he would turn pro.[2] Shortly before the deadline to declare for the draft, Vigen called Allen's father to explain why he should stay at Wyoming an extra year; according to Eisenberg, "When Joel Allen got off the phone and entered his son’s room, he found his son riddled with anxiety about his decision."[3] Before the draft declaration deadline, Bohl told Allen that staying in school one more year would improve his long-term NFL prospects, and Allen also sought advice from Wentz, who told him that in the NFL, he would have many league veterans depending on him to "win games and help secure their jobs."[2] Allen ultimately remained at Wyoming. He threw for 1,812 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 2017.[17]

Allen at Bills training camp in August 2018

The Buffalo Bills drafted Allen with the seventh overall pick in the draft, trading up from 12th overall with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to make the selection.[27] On July 25, he signed a four-year, fully guaranteed $21 million contract with the Bills.[28] Allen competed for the starting quarterback position with AJ McCarron and Nathan Peterman through the offseason and training camp.[29] Despite a quality preseason, Allen started the season as the backup to Peterman after McCarron was traded to the Oakland Raiders.[30]

Allen during the preseason

On September 9, 2018, Allen made his first regular season appearance against the Baltimore Ravens after Peterman was benched after posting a 0.0 passer rating. Allen finished with 74 passing yards and 26 rushing yards as the Bills lost 47–3.[31][32] On September 12, the Bills announced that Allen would start the following week against the Los Angeles Chargers.[33] Allen finished with 245 passing yards, his first NFL passing touchdown, which went to Kelvin Benjamin, and two interceptions as the Bills lost 20–31. He also rushed for 32 yards.[34] Allen's 57-yard completion to Zay Jones, which traveled 64 yards, tied for the second longest air distance ever recorded by NFL Next Gen Stats for a completed pass.[35][36]

During a Week 3 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, Allen led the Bills to their first victory of the season with a dominant first-half performance. Allen passed for 196 yards and a touchdown, adding 39 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns in a 27–6 victory.[37] In particular, he hurdled over Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr on one of his scrambles to pick up a first down, a play that went viral on social media.[38][39]

During Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, Allen completed 10 of 19 passes for 82 passing yards and an interception in the 13–12 win, adding another rushing touchdown.[40] The following week, in a 20–13 loss to the Houston Texans, Allen suffered an elbow injury and did not return. He finished the game completing 10 of 17 passes for 84 passing yards and 20 rushing yards.[41] He was expected to miss at least two games with the injury.[42]

Allen returned after missing four games, getting the start against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which was noteworthy as Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey had called Allen "trash" prior to the season.[43][44] In a back-and-forth game that saw the Bills win 24–21 over the Jaguars, Allen completed 8 of 19 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown, adding 99 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown on 13 rushes.[45] The 99 rushing yards broke the Bills franchise record for rushing yards in a game by a quarterback, previously held by Tyrod Taylor.[46][47] Despite a 21–17 loss to the Dolphins the following week, Allen threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns and added 135 yards on the ground (averaging 15.0 yards per pass attempt). During a game against the New York Jets and fellow rookie quarterback Sam Darnold in Week 14, Allen finished with 206 passing yards and 2 interceptions, adding a rushing touchdown on 101 rushing yards as the Bills lost a close game 23–27.[48] Allen became the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 95 yards rushing in a three-week span, accumulating 335 yards.[49]

After a rough 24–12 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 16, Allen rebounded in the rematch against the Dolphins in Week 17. Despite throwing his first career pick-six, he scored five total touchdowns, three passing and two rushing, along with 224 passing yards and 95 rushing yards as the Bills routed the Dolphins 42–17. The performance earned him recognition as the AFC's Offensive Player of the Week.[50] The Bills finished 6–10 on the season, 5–6 with Allen as the starting quarterback. He became the first quarterback in Bills history to lead the team in both passing and rushing in a season.[51] He led all quarterbacks with eight rushing touchdowns on the season.[52]

Allen in a game against the Washington Redskins

Allen entered 2019 as the Bills' opening day starter, being named a team captain.[53] On September 8, 2019, Allen led the Bills to a comeback win over the New York Jets in week 1. Despite the Bills being down 16–0 at one point in the third quarter, Allen led the team to 17 unanswered points. He finished the game with 254 passing yards on 24 completions, both career highs. He also had one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, and two interceptions.[54] After leading Buffalo to its first 3–0 start since 2011, Allen struggled against a stout New England Patriots defense, throwing three interceptions, but became the first player to score an offensive touchdown on the Patriots in the 2019 season. He completed 13 of 28 passes for 153 yards, and also rushed for 26 yards and the aforementioned touchdown before suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit from Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones, which forced him out of the eventual 16–10 Bills loss.[55]

Despite being placed in the concussion protocol, Allen returned the following week against the Tennessee Titans, completing 23 of 32 pass attempts for 219 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in a 14–7 Bills win.[56] In Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns, Allen completed 22 of 41 passes for 266 yards and ran for 28 yards and two touchdowns, but the Bills lost 19–16 because of two missed field goal attempts.[57] The following week against the Miami Dolphins, he passed for 256 yards and three touchdowns, matching a career high, and rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown as the Bills won 37–20.[58] He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 11.[59] Against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving in week 13, Allen completed 19 of 24 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 120.7, also rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown in a 26–15 Bills win.[60] In Week 15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, Allen threw for 139 yards, one touchdown, and one interception and rushed for 28 yards and a touchdown during the 17–10 win. As a result of the win, the Bills clinched a spot in the playoffs.[61] In the rematch against the Patriots in Week 16, Allen passed for 208 yards and two touchdowns, including a 53-yarder to John Brown, but Buffalo fell short once again, losing 24–17 to surrender the division title to New England.[62] This would be the last game Josh Allen to see Tom Brady on Week 16 before former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady traded to Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020, signaling the end of the Patriots Dynasty.[63] With playoff seeding locked up, Allen had a limited role in the regular season finale loss to the New York Jets.[64][65] He finished the 2019 season with 3,089 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, and nine interceptions to go along with 109 carries for 510 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns,[66] while also leading the league with four fourth quarter comebacks and five game-winning drives.[67][68]

In the AFC Wild Card round against the Houston Texans, Allen started strong, breaking Jim Kelly's franchise post-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback (37) with a single 42-yard run on the first drive,[69] and caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver John Brown on a trick play, similar to what Nick Foles did in Super Bowl LII.[70] After building a 16–0 lead early in the third quarter, the Bills were unable to keep momentum and ultimately had to come from behind in the final moments to force overtime. Overall, Allen finished with 92 rushing yards, 264 passing yards, 16 receiving yards, and one total touchdown as the Bills lost 19–22 in overtime.[71] Allen was just the third player since 1975 with 25+ pass yards, 40+ rush yards, and 15+ receiving yards in a single game.[72]

In August 2020, Allen was reportedly among a group of 77 NFL players that tested positive for COVID-19. However, all 77 results were later revealed to have been false positives due to mishandling by the laboratory that performed the testing. Allen remarked that he was frustrated by the error.[73]

Allen started the season strong, attaining his first three games with over 300 yards passing in his professional career with wins over the New York Jets,[74] Miami Dolphins,[75] and Los Angeles Rams, with a high of 415 yards against Miami and a last-minute comeback win over Los Angeles.[76] He became the first Bills quarterback to throw for 300 yards since Tyrod Taylor recorded 329 yards in Week 16 of the 2016 season,[74] and also became the first Bills quarterback to pass for 300 yards in back-to-back games since Drew Bledsoe in 2002.[75] Through the first two weeks, Allen joined Peyton Manning (2013), Tom Brady (2015) and Patrick Mahomes (2019) as the only four quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 700 yards passing, six touchdowns and no interceptions through the first two weeks of a season.[77] After week 3, he became the first quarterback in Bills' history with at least 300 pass yards and three touchdowns in three consecutive weeks and surpassed Jim Kelly's franchise record for most passing touchdowns in the team's first three games with ten.[78] On October 1, 2020, Allen was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for his performance in September.[79]

In Week 4, Allen won against the Las Vegas Raiders by a score of 30–23, throwing for 288 yards and two touchdowns, with another rushing touchdown. He led the Bills to their first 4–0 record since 2008.[80] The following week, Allen and the Bills played the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday, October 13, with the game having been delayed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Titans' organization. This was just the second Tuesday night football game in 70 years. The Bills lost 42–16. Allen finished the game with 26 completions on 41 attempts, passing for 263 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.[81]

In Week 8, Allen led the Bills to a 24–21 victory over the New England Patriots, Buffalo's first home win against the Patriots since 2011 and Allen's first career win against the Patriots.[82] The following week, he would become the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era with at least 400 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 130 in multiple games in a single season during Buffalo's 44–34 upset victory over the heavily favored Seattle Seahawks. Allen completed 31 of 38 (81.6 completion percentage) passes for 415 yards and three passing touchdowns, adding 14 yards and another touchdown on the ground. The Bills improved to 7–2 on the year for the first time since 1993. After the game, it was revealed by Bills head coach Sean McDermott that Allen had played one day after the death of his grandmother.[83]

In week 10, the Bills traveled west to play the Arizona Cardinals. In a shootout match, Allen completed 32 of 49 passes for 284 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He also rushed for 38 yards on 7 carries and caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Isaiah McKenzie on a trick play.[84] Allen's second touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs put the Bills up 30–26 with only 34 seconds left in the game, but the Bills lost after Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray completed a Hail Mary pass to DeAndre Hopkins with just two seconds left.[85] After the bye week, Allen had a quiet but effective game during a 27–17 week 12 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, completing 18 of 24 passes for 157 yards, 1 touchdown and an interception, in addition to 32 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, and a fumble.[86] Allen had another strong game the following week on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers, completing 32 of 40 attempts for 375 passing yards and four passing touchdowns in the 34–24 victory, also becoming the first quarterback in Buffalo's history to attempt 40 or more passes in a single game while completing at least 80% of his passes and joined Drew Brees as the only two quarterbacks in league history to have three games of 375 passing yards, 3+ passing touchdowns and a 130+ passer rating in a single season.[87]

Allen broke Jim Kelly's franchise record for the most total touchdowns by a single player during a week 14 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football after passing for two touchdowns during the game. He finished the game with 238 yards, the two touchdowns, and an interception.[88] The following week against the Denver Broncos, Allen helped the Bills clinch their first AFC East division title since 1995, six months before he was born.[89] He finished the game with 359 yards passing and two passing touchdowns, in addition to 33 yards rushing and two scores on the ground, during the 48–19 Bills win.[90] During a Week 16 rematch with the Patriots on Monday Night Football, Allen completed 27 of 36 attempts for 320 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, surpassing Kelly's franchise record for single-season passing touchdowns. By helping Buffalo win 38–9, Allen also allowed the Bills to sweep the Patriots for the first time since 1999.[91] Allen was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for his performance in December.[92]

Throughout the season, Allen was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week four times, namely for his performance in Week 2 against Miami,[93] week 9 against Seattle,[94] week 13 against San Francisco,[95] and week 15 against Denver.[96] He became the first player in franchise history to win the award at least three times in a single season.[97] On December 21, 2020, Allen and four of his teammates were named to the 2021 Pro Bowl, which will take place virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[98]

In the Wild Card round against the Indianapolis Colts, Allen completed 26 of 35 passes for 324 yards, rushed for 54 yards, and had three total touchdowns as the Bills won 27–24 giving the Bills their first playoff win since 1995.[99]

Facing Lamar Jackson and the number-one rushing offense and top-ten defense in the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional round, Allen and the Bills would find themselves on the right end of a defensive battle with a 17–3 win. Allen completed 62.2% of his passes for 206 yards and one touchdown with no turnovers.[100]

The following week, Allen faced a rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, whom the Bills faced in week 6, in Buffalo's first AFC Championship appearance since 1993. He completed 28 of 48 pass attempts for 287 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception that was his first career pick in the redzone, in addition to rushing for 88 yards, as the Bills lost 38–24.[101] A minor scuffle occurred after Allen was tackled by Chiefs defender Alex Okafor after a play was blown dead in the fourth quarter, in which the former responded by flicking the ball at Okafor's helmet. Okafor began to taunt Allen until Bills linemen Jon Feliciano and Dion Dawkins shoved Okafor onto the ground. All four players received offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.[102]

a: Because the first play of the Buffalo-Miami game in Week 17 had Allen lined up at WR and the ball snapped directly to Devin Singletary, this game is not counted as a QB start for Allen.[103]

• First quarterback to rush for at least 95 yards in three consecutive games (Week 12–14, 2018)[104]
• First quarterback with 10 passing touchdowns and 2 rushing touchdowns through three weeks (Week 1–3, 2020)[105]
• First quarterback with 375+ pass yards, 3+ pass touchdowns, 0 interceptions and a 130+ QB rating in multiple games in a single season (Week 2, 9 & 13, 2020)

• Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game: 135[106]
• Longest touchdown pass by a rookie quarterback: 75 yards[107]
• Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season: 631[108]
• Most total touchdowns by a rookie: 18[108]
• Most consecutive games by a quarterback scoring at least one touchdown: 21[109]
• Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season: 9 (2019)[109]
• Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game, post-season: 92 (January 4, 2020, vs. Houston Texans)[69]
• Most consecutive games with over 300 passing yards: 3 (shared with Jim Kelly, week 1–3, 2020)[78]
• Most games with 300 passing yards and 4 TDs, single season: 4 (2020)
• Most total touchdowns in a season: 46 (2020)[88]
• Most passing touchdowns, single season: 37 (2020)[110]
• Most passing yards, single season: 4,544 (2020)[111]

• 6× AFC Offensive Player of the Week (2018: Week 17; 2019: Week 11; 2020: Week 2, 9, 13, 15)[50][58]
• 87th-ranked player on NFL Top 100 (2020)[112]
• 2x AFC Offensive Player of the Month (2020: September, December)
• Pro Bowl (2020)
• PFWA Most Improved Player (2020)[113]

Allen is represented by Creative Artists Agency. His lead agent is Patrick Collins, whose most notable clients include Daniel Jones and Taylor Lewan.[121]

From the beginning of Allen's professional career, he has been a Nike, Inc. athlete and has stated that, "It was a dream of mine to be a Nike athlete, seeing commercials of Kobe Bryant and being a West Coast kid and seeing all the deals that he had with Nike and all the shoes that he released. When I was coming out, it didn’t really matter who else made offers. If another company was wanting to give me more money, it didn’t matter. I was going to go Nike."[122]

Allen is one of eight NFL ambassadors for New Era Cap Company, an American headwear company headquartered in Buffalo, New York and the exclusive provider of sideline headwear for the NFL.[123] "I’ve been wearing New Era caps for a long time," said Allen. "Now I get paid to wear them. It’s pretty cool." Allen worked with New Era's creative team to design a special-edition cap released and sold in October 2019 to benefit Oishei Children's Hospital. A patient from the hospital, along with a doctor and a nurse, also contributed to the design.[122]

Allen is a spokesperson for West Herr Auto Group, an auto dealership in the Buffalo and Rochester areas. Allen appeared in multiple commercials and videos for the company and received a fully-loaded Ford Shelby Baja Raptor as part of the partnership.[124]

In July 2020, Allen was announced as a shareholder in OnCore Golf Technology, Inc., a golf ball manufacturer and golf entertainment company founded and based in Buffalo, New York.[125] Allen credited the company's premier golf ball technology and plans for a $30 million golf and hotel complex on Ganson Street in Buffalo, New York as reasons for his investment in the company.[126][127]

Following in Jim Kelly and Doug Flutie's footsteps, Allen partnered with PLB Sports & Entertainment and Wegmans in September 2020 to produce his own cereal, Josh's Jaqs. Like "Flutie Flakes" and "Kelly Krunch" before it, "Josh’s Jaqs" feature the heroic image of the Bills QB throwing a football on a blue box that shows the red and blue, team-colored cereal Os. Proceeds from "Josh’s Jaqs" will help support the Oishei Children's Hospital in Buffalo, New York. Troy Witt, Director of Marketing for PLB Sports & Entertainment, clarified that Josh's Jaqs are so named because J.A.Q. is an acronym for Josh Allen Quarterback. He also said that it's the first time they’ve ever produced a cereal in a team's specific colors.[128]

Allen also invested in his family's farm, the Allen Ranch, and plans to plant and cultivate 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of pistachio trees over the next decade. A brand name for the pistachios is still under consideration, though Allen has joked that he could call them "Josh's Nuts."[129]

Allen is a spokesperson for the John R. Oishei Children's Hospital in Buffalo. As part of a deal with the hospital, Allen makes appearances, visits patients, and is in commercials to support fundraising efforts. During the 2019 season, Allen donated $200 to the hospital for each of his touchdowns. He scored 29 total touchdowns in the 2019 season, resulting in a total donation of $5,800 to the hospital. Allen has a personal connection to children's health because his younger brother, Jason, was hospitalized for a few days as a child with Kawasaki disease, a rare condition which inflames blood vessels.[122]

Allen considered starting a foundation but instead decided to support existing organizations, including the Fresno, California, chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where his sister works in fundraising, and the Jessie Rees Foundation, which supports children fighting cancer. Allen wears a blue "NEGU" (Never Ever Give Up) bracelet from the foundation.[122] In March 2020, Allen donated $25,000 to the Terry and Kim Pegula Western New York COVID-19 Community Response Fund. Allen also matched $10,000 in donations to Kaleida Health's COVID-19 Response Fund.[130]