Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen has been praised heavily during the offseason after being rewarded with his first NFL MVP.
Buffalo gave Allen a new contract extension after leading the team to the AFC Championship Game with a 13-4 regular season record. The team added some talent around him by adding Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore in free agency, as well as extending his top receiver, Khalil Shakir.
While no one can deny how good Allen has been throughout his seven-year career, some don't believe he doesn't stack up against some of the best quarterbacks.
PFF writer John Kosko ranked all 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL and separated them by six tiers. Allen was placed in the first tier among the four elite quarterbacks.
Kosko had Allen ranked fourth on the list, last within the elite tier as Patrick Mahomes took the top spot. Joe Burrow was ranked second, and Lamar Jackson was third despite Allen having the best overall PFF grade in the last three years.
"Allen’s 95.4 overall grade over the past three seasons ranks first among all quarterbacks. His 91.4 passing grade in that span is third, behind Burrow and Lamar Jackson. Despite losing his top two receivers from 2023, Allen didn’t miss a beat in 2024, delivering his most complete season yet and earning his first MVP award."
Since being drafted in the first round in 2018, Allen has thrown for 26,434 yards and 195 touchdowns to 84 interceptions. He's also run for 4,142 yards and 65 touchdowns in 111 career games.
Allen compiled a combined 2-2 record against Jackson and Mahomes last season. Against Burrow, Allen is 1-1 in his career.
After all the offseason praise, it does come as a surprise that Allen finds himself at the bottom of the "elite" category despite having better numbers than the other three quarterbacks. Allen has been asked to do more than the others have, as he had to put the offense on his back to carry them to an AFC title game.
The defending NFL MVP will have a chance to beat all three quarterbacks in the regular season and take his spot at the top of the elite.
