Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen enters the 2022 NFL season as the leading MVP candidate, ahead of the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady. However, he’s never been in the game for personal glory and wants to put an end to a lifelong story of franchise struggles.
Following an impressive career at Wyoming, the Bills took Allen with the seventh overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. However, the Firebaugh, California native needed some time to prove his worth and demonstrate that he could be their franchise QB.
He was instrumental in turning the Bills from an ever-struggling team to one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, silencing his doubters every time he set foot on the gridiron.
Allen has gotten better in every season he’s been in the league. But now, as he enters his fifth campaign, he knows moral victories aren’t good enough this time. In 2022, it’s Super Bowl or bust for the AFC East favorites.
The 2021 NFL season ended up in a heartbreaking fashion for Allen. That Bills vs. Chiefs game will play over and over in his head for years to come, from that last-minute scoring drive, all the way to that unfortunate coin toss.
But as hurtful as it was, and as unfair as some considered it, he won’t make up excuses for the loss and will only try and focus on the things he can control:
“We’ll learn from it, we’ll get better from it; it’s going to fuel us,” Allen said after the game. “There are ways we could’ve found a way to win that game. Unfortunately, there are 31 teams that don’t do that, in terms of winning the Super Bowl.”
The 26-year-old sure lived up to those words. He spent a couple of days with his lifelong girlfriend Brittany Williams, played some golf with Brady, Mahomes, and Rodgers, and then rushed back to put in the work to master his craft and fix the few flaws in his game:
“(The) Main thing is still limiting turnovers, limiting bad decisions. And then ball placement on some of the underneath routes, allowing the guys to get more YAC. Last year, I don’t think we were very good in that department. So it’s kind of on me to put the ball where it needs to be and allow our guys to utilize their legs and run after catch,” Allen said.
That’s the kind of leadership and accountability one would expect from a franchise QB.
The Bills made a huge financial commitment to Allen. They signed him to a six-year, $258 million contract extension with $150 million fully guaranteed, a $16.5 million signing bonus, a $42.5 million option bonus, and up to $30 million in incentives.
However, judging by today’s market value and the deals signed by Kyler Murray and Aaron Rodgers, it’s clear that the Bills got a bargain for their 6’5”, 237-pound quarterback. Not many guys his size and his weight can move the way he does, run as fast as he does, break tackles the way he does, and have a cannon for an arm like him.
He’s coming off setting an NFL record for the highest passer rating in a single postseason (149.0), while also throwing for 4,407 yards, 36 touchdowns, 15 INTs, and rushing a career-high 122 for 763 and six scores.
“He’s a big guy, he’s a tough guy, he’s athletic,” Rams star Aaron Donald sai. “In my opinion, he’s like a futuristic Big Ben. A little bit more athletic, can move a little bit better. But he’s a guy that ain’t gonna go down easy so you got to come with your big boy pads when you get to wrap him up.”
Allen will enter perhaps the most determinant season of his career just yet. It’s not only the expectations and the team the Bills put around him, but also overcoming the loss of OC Brian Daboll, who’s credited for his development.
Daboll left the Bills to coach the New York Giants, leaving a massive void in one of the league’s most electrifying offenses.
Now, he’ll try to find the same success with a struggling young QB in Daniel Jones, which will be an uphill battle. But, if you were to ask Allen, Daboll is the right guy to bring the best out of every single player:
“One, he’s real as they come,” Allen said of Daboll. “He’s been around the league. He’s been around some of the best minds in [Nick] Saban and [Bill] Belichick.He has this extreme competitive nature that relates with his team and his guys. And it makes guys want to play for him, it really does. And how he carries himself in the building not keeping things too serious, try to make things competition-based, I think guys really appreciate that.”
“He’s gonna be able to get the most out of them,” Allen said. “Like I said, guys want to play for this man. He’s never not on — he talks ball and he thinks ball 24-7. He loves it, he absolutely loves it. He loves having a good time, he loves being around the guys in the team room and on the field making jokes. It’s something like I’ve never seen before. He knows when to get on guys. He knows when to love up on guys. That’s part of what makes him so great. He’s able to read how certain guys need to be treated, and what makes them go and how to get the best out of ’em, and I think he learned that very quick. He’s a very good judge of character.”
So, the Bills’ offense might look slightly different in 2022, but the goal remains the same. They brought in Von Miller because they believe they can contend for a Super Bowl, and Allen has helped the Bills become a prime destination for elite free agents looking to add more silverware.
Will he be up to the task? All signs sure point to yes.
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