The Buffalo Bills are heading into the 2025-26 season with the wind on their backs, in the sense that that they have a strong squad and MVP-winning quarterback Josh Allen in the fold. At this point, it’s really impossible for people in the NFL to not recognize that the Bills have a very special and unique talent in Allen. It’s not just because he won MVP, either. He’s just a stellar quarterback, year in and year out, no matter what awards he gets or misses.
Thankfully, Allen is rarely overlooked in best-of tallies of today’s quarterbacks. Now, ESPN has unleashed its roster of the best quarterbacks in the league, and Allen is in there. He’s very high on the roster, too.
For the piece, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN petitioned coaches, executives and scouts to name their top quarterbacks in the league going into the 2025-26 season. Frankly, for being MVP, some could make the case that Allen should have been No. 1 on the tally, but at least he landed at No. 2. Here’s who beat him.
Josh Allen of the Bills Named One of the Top Quarterbacks
Goff was named the No. 2 best quarterback in the league in Fowler’s report. Last year, he was ranked No. 3, and for his highest year, he was No. 1. The only quarterback ahead of Allen, as you may have guessed, is Kansas City Chiefs signal-called Patrick Mahomes. It does hurt that Mahomes came out on top.
“Allen’s standing in our top 10 series has been a journey — and a point of contention in Buffalo,” Fowler notes in the piece. “Since the series started in 2020 until 2023, Allen’s place in the quarterback pantheon was universally celebrated among voters inside the league and highlighted in this piece annually. He became, unquestionably, a top-shelf quarterback in the league.”
It’s nice to see Allen recognized as a “top-shelf quarterback,” because that really does define him. Last season, he led the NFL in QBR and yards per dropback under pressure, according to Fowler, and had 13 passing touchdowns under duress.
One NFC personnel executive said of Allen, “He’s done everything. He’s answered every test. He makes less mistakes and takes care of the ball. Only thing left to do is win it all.”
Josh Allen Takes ‘Calculated Risks’ for the Bills
An NFL personnel evaluator added, “He’s still got that risk-taking to his game and the occasional head-scratching play, but he’s taking more calculated risks than wild risks, which is helping his overall play.”
Looking at the entire team, the Bills were ranked No. 3 in Bleacher Report’s Power Rankings going into the 2025 season.
“Buffalo is absolutely a Super Bowl contender—the team sports an MVP quarterback and the AFC’s highest-scoring offense from a season ago,” Gary Davenport stated in a July 9 piece. “But a sixth straight AFC East title won’t matter much in Western New York. Neither will more hardware for Josh Allen at the next NFL Honors.”
He adds that the only thing that will appease the Bills is getting past the Chiefs and to the big game. Let’s do it.
