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.
Related: Report: 49ers QB Brock Purdy’s status still ‘truly unknown’ for Bills bout
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.
Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
“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.”
Though employed as an NFL analyst by Amazon, Fitzpatrick has done little to hide his Bills fandom in recent years, attending their 2021 Wild Card round matchup against the New England Patriots as a fan before offering to pay several players’ fines this season. He wants to see Buffalo hoist a Lombardi Trophy as much as any Bills fan, and Allen has the team well-positioned to do so this season, as the Bills are 9-2 through the first 12 weeks of the campaign.
Fitzpatrick went on to talk about what a Super Bowl victory would mean for Buffalo fans, telling host Rich Eisen that it would be the realization of a lifelong desire for thousands of people.
“People have been waiting their whole lifetime for this, and this is a generational thing,” Fitzpatrick said. “You’re not a Bills fan and then you move somewhere [and like another team], your kids become Bills fans if you were a Bills fan. It doesn’t matter where you live. It’s probably the most fun I have going through the airport every week, when I walk by a gate that says Buffalo or Rochester or I see somebody with a Bills hat on, they wear it all the time. They wear it on their sleeve, and they absolutely love being Bills fans, and it’s truly part of their identity.”