If someone were to chisel a Mount Rushmore for Bills quarterbacks in the rolling hills south of Buffalo, it’s easy to guess who the first three would be.
There’s hall-of-fame quarterback Jim Kelly, leader of the Super Bowl-era teams. Right next to him would be Josh Allen, the force of nature who seemingly rewrites team and NFL record books multiple times each season.
Next to those two greats would be Joe Ferguson, who led the offense from 1973 to 1984 and ranks third in all-time passing yards with 27,590.
Who would be the fourth? Doug Flutie, of course.
Why is Doug Flutie one of the greatest quarterbacks to wear a Bills jersey?
“Inch for inch, Flutie in his prime was the best quarterback of his generation.” — John Madden, NFL analyst
Doug Flutie is more than just the player behind college football’s most memorable Hail Mary pass.
Over his 21-year pro career, which includes time in the United States Football League, Canadian Football League, and two stints in the National Football League plus the postseason, the quarterback threw or ran for a combined 70,332 total yards and 475 total touchdowns, according to Ryan Michael’s October 2025 retrospective for the Pro Football Hall of Fame titled, Doug Flutie: From Magic to Mentor.
There’s no doubt that his time in the CFL — where he won three Grey Cups, six Most Outstanding Player awards and is widely considered the all-time greatest player — made Flutie a better quarterback. And that became apparent during his second NFL stint, when the veteran drove the Bills to the playoffs the two seasons he was the primary starter in Buffalo during the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
Had Flutie not been dogged by a quarterback controversy with Rob Johnson during his three seasons with the Bills, who knows what could have happened. It’s one of the great what-ifs in Western New York sports.
After looking through our gallery of Flutie’s exciting career in Buffalo, check out our collections of photos celebrating other Bills greats throughout franchise history.
Jim Kelly, hall of fame quarterback, Bills legend
Marv Levy, NFL Hall of fame coach, beloved Bills legend
Bruce Smith, NFL hall of famer, Buffalo Bills icon
Andre Reed, hall of fame wide receiver, Bills great
Thurman Thomas, hall of fame running back, beloved Buffalo Bills star
Steve Tasker, Bills special teams star, Wall of Fame player
Darryl Talley, Buffalo Bills legend, All-Pro linebacker
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: Buffalo Bills quarterback is considered ‘greatest of his generation’
Reporting by Bill Wolcott, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bill Wolcott, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
