Former NFL QB makes huge declaration about Josh Allen’s place in Bills’ history

Chris Simms lists Allen among the best players in Buffalo’s franchise history

Bills current quarterback Josh Allen (17) and former Bills quarterback and HOFer Jim Kelly. / Shawn Dowd / USA TODAY NETWORK

Josh Allen—greatest Buffalo Bills player of all time? According to Chris Simms, he may just be.

The former NFL quarterback talked about the reigning league MVP on his ‘Chris Simms Unbuttoned’ podcast this week, specifically Allen’s new $330 million deal.

Not only did he mention how this deal was important considering how underpaid Allen was, but he also ranked him among the top four QBs in the league, along with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow.

Often a defender and supporter of Allen over the years, he may have made his biggest sign of appreciation yet when discussing the Bills locking up their QB through his age-34 season.

”There’s four quarterbacks in football and then there’s everybody else,” said Simms

“And he’s one of them, they stand alone. … They knew he was underpaid, he had a special year, now they get this on the books. They don’t gotta worry for a while, they can formulate their team going forward, they take care of their guy. The best player in franchise history.”

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

His co-host, Ahmed Fareed, made the point that other players throughout Buffalo’s franchise history might have something to say about that. So, who should be considered? For starter’s let’s look at his fellow Bills MVP winners.

O.J. Simpson, who won league MVP in 1973, posted 10,181 rushing yards and 57 rushing touchdowns during his tenure in Buffalo. His off-field persona often clouds what he did as a player, but he was the first player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

As impressive as that all is, Simpson was surpassed by Allen this season in rushing scores, as the QB now has 65. He is currently tied for the most all-time in Buffalo’s history with Thurman Thomas, the Bills’ MVP winner from 1991 and the franchise’s all-time leading rusher.

Two of Thomas’ teammates from the early 90’s Buffalo teams that took the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances can also enter this chat. A fellow Buffalo QB, Jim Kelly, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer who is atop many of the team’s passing categories, including yards, touchdowns, and career wins.

Allen, however, has the opportunity in 2025 to supersede Kelly in TD passes. It would take a monster season of 43+ scores through the air, but that is a figure Allen has scored in total TDs on two occasions, in 2020 and 2023.

Of course, the one name who may be at the top from those 90’s Bills teams is Bruce Smith. Spanning his 19-year career, he became the NFL’s all-time sack leader and is the only player in league history in the 200-sack club.

While it’s hard to say Allen has had the best career of any player in Bills history, it’s hard to argue against him having the best start to a career for a player in team history.

But if he keeps his trend of success going through the length of his career, and leads the franchise to its first title since being an AFL team, he could rival Smith for the “best player in franchise history” title.

Former Bills quarterback and Hall of Famer Jim Kelly (left) and current Bills quarterback Josh Allen. / JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE

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