Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick recently sang the praises of current field general Josh Allen.
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane received a slew of criticism after trading up to select then-controversial Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, parting with considerable assets to select a player whom a number of draft analysts viewed as a red flag-riddled small school signal-caller with little hope of developing into a franchise centerpiece. He received frequent pushback for his subsequent comments and analyses, among them a draft night comment in which he stated that Allen “is Buffalo.”
Fast forward to 2024, and Beane was right. About all of it. Allen has not only developed into one of the league’s most dynamic players, a wholly singular quarterback who is the only player in NFL history to total over 40 touchdowns in four consecutive seasons, but he is the epitome of what Buffalo fans have long-yearned for in a franchise player. He blends his off-field humility and ‘normal dude’ energy with on-field confidence and competitiveness the likes of which are unrivaled; he puts his body on the line each and every week, and Western New Yorkers adore him for it.
Allen seems to just get Buffalo in a way few players do, which, when paired with his otherworldly talent, allows him to be one of the more beloved players in recent Bills history. He understands Buffalo much in the same way that former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick got Western New York; neither were from the region or had any affiliation to it prior to joining the organization, but they embraced the city and its people when they arrived, and their adoration was, thus, reciprocated.
Fitzpatrick, who played for nine clubs throughout his 17-year career but has long described the Bills as his favorite, has taken a liking to Allen in recent years, the two forming a friendship thanks to their shared demeanors. Buffalo’s former quarterback sang the praises of its current signal-caller during a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, describing him as the ideal franchise centerpiece for a team based in Western New York.
“I’ll say this, Josh Allen is the perfect quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, and it goes well beyond his playing ability,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s his personality, it’s how much he cares for the city, it’s how he holds and carries himself every single day, and he understands, deep down, he understands how important it is for that city for him to bring a Super Bowl to them, and I know that that’s his strongest desire in the world. I would be out there amongst them, shirtless, for sure, if that were to happen, and it would be a wild scene, because they live, eat, sleep Bills football out there.”
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