Josh Allen has a new fan club and they’ve been some of his harshest critics in the past.
The Buffalo Bills popular signal-caller was ranked the No. 1 NFL quarterback by league executives, coaches and scouts, according to ESPN.
It is the first time the talented Allen has grabbed the top spot in the annual anonymous survey of NFL front office-personnel and coaching staffs.
“He’s the most singularly unstoppable player at the position when you get his A-game,” one unidentified GM said. “And he has cut down on the turnovers the past two seasons.”
Allen ranks ahead of Mahomes, Stafford, Burrow
Despite taking a small step back from the 2024 season that saw him win the NFL MVP award, Allen finally managed to pass Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes for the top spot. Mahomes has led ESPN’s preseason survey for the previous three years.
Allen’s average ranking of 2.10 per ballot was just ahead of Mahomes’ 2.19.
Allen has dialed back his once generous rate of turnovers the past two seasons, averaging eight interceptions each year since 2024, and 12 total fumbles over those seasons. By comparison, he averaged 15.7 INTs per season from 2021-23, and had 20 fumbles in 2022-23.
“You live with him and die with him,” an unidentified NFL coordinator said. “You can’t get mad at him because he won a lot of games for you with a similar style and he was so good.
“Look who he was throwing to. His wideouts weren’t great. But he made it work and brought out their best. He elevates the people around him, clearly.”
Allen’s three consecutive seasons with at least 25 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns are the most in NFL history.
Allen ranks No. 3 among top 100 NFL players
CBS Sports ranked the Buffalo Bills quarterback No. 3 in its annual list of the NFL’s top 100 players entering the 2026 season, making him the league’s second-highest-ranked quarterback behind reigning MVP Matthew Stafford.
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco ranks Allen behind only Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Stafford.
“His numbers weren’t as good as the year before, but he still was one of the best in the league,” Prisco wrote. “He carries the Bills on his back. His numbers should go up this year with Joe Brady running things.”
Allen ranked biggest trash-talker, most overrated in previous polls
Allen was named “biggest trash-talking quarterback” and the “most overrated player quarterback in preseason polls of anonymous NFL players during the summer of 2024. Allen had the last laugh when he picked up the MVP and Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award at the end of the season.
Bill Wolcott is a producer who helps cover the Buffalo Bills, high school and Rochester sports in general. The lifelong New Yorker has been a journalist for 32 years.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills QB Josh Allen ranked top NFL quarterback by coaches, GMs, scouts
Reporting by Bill Wolcott, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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By Bill Wolcott, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
