Retirement and self-sacrifice: Josh Allen breaks down what he’d do to guarantee Bills a Super Bowl

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is willing to go to extreme lengths to guarantee his team a Super Bowl victory.

Kyle Silagyi | Jul 12, 2024

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half of the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

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Josh Allen’s priority since being selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft has been to bring a Lombardi Trophy to Western New York. This remains his primary motivating factor as he prepares for his seventh professional season, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes in order to see Buffalo win its first Super Bowl.

The word ‘everything’ isn’t being used hyperbolically here, as he’s willing to sacrifice both his career and himself to lead the Bills to the promised land. During a recent appearance on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast, Allen was (jokingly) asked if he would retire if doing so guaranteed that Buffalo would win a Super Bowl.

The franchise signal-caller gave a team-first answer, even mentioning that he’s already sacrificed himself to ‘The Pit’ in order to bring good fortune to the club.

“If that’s what it took, I would do it,” Allen said. “If I could [guarantee it], yeah, I would do it. I sacrificed myself to The Pit this last year, though. Feed The Pit.”

Allen went on to explain the lore associated with The Pit, which was the name that fans colloquially gave to the construction site of New Highmark Stadium.

Jan 15, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates a touch down in the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 2024 AFC wild card game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

“The Pit was the hole that our new stadium is being built on,” Allen said. “People were trying to get some sneak peeks and every gameday, someone got a little too intoxicated, fell into The Pit. We started going on a win streak when the first person that fell into The Pit, so every game, someone miraculously fell into The Pit. This offseason I went down into The Pit and sacrificed myself.”

As Allen mentioned, a handful of inebriated tailgaters would attempt to check out the team’s under-construction stadium each week throughout the 2023 season (Buffalo’s new venue is being built directly across the street from the team’s current home). A fan eventually fell into the gaping hole in the earth, their fall coinciding with a Bills win.

The ever-comical Buffalo faithful interpreted this coincidence as fate, and quasi-human sacrifice became a norm in Orchard Park as the Bills rattled off five straight wins after the bye week to re-enter playoff contention and earn their fourth consecutive AFC East title (it must be stated that no actual human sacrifice occurred).

The Pit is no longer accessible as stadium construction continues at a rapid pace. Allen was one of its last visitors, and the self “sacrifice” that he mentioned was actually documented; the team’s 2024 schedule release video in which the quarterback did his best Andy Dwyer impression saw Allen take up residence in The Pit.

They’re starting to place steel beams for the next level of the Bills new stadium! pic.twitter.com/eiurFazBOS
— Mike Bundt (@Mike_Bundt) July 11, 2024

Hopefully Allen’s offseason sacrifice will be enough to allow the Bills to get over the hump and finally win their first Super Bowl in franchise history. It’s a much better alternative than the quarterback retiring to guarantee Buffalo its first Lombardi Trophy, as most members of Bills Mafia would likely agree that the team’s Super Bowl chances are significantly greater with Allen on the field than with him off it.

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