Josh Allen has finally reached the spot Patrick Mahomes occupied for years in the NFL quarterback conversation.
In ESPN’s annual survey of league executives, coaches and scouts, the Buffalo Bills star was voted No. 1 at the position, edging Mahomes for the first time after years of finishing right behind the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback. The rankings were compiled by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
One NFL general manager made the case plainly. “He's the most singularly unstoppable player at the position when you get his A-game,” the executive told ESPN. That same evaluator also pointed to Allen’s cleaner ball security, a part of his game that has drawn criticism in the past because of costly turnovers.
That improvement has become a major part of Allen’s rise. Since 2024, he has averaged only eight interceptions per season after throwing nearly twice that many annually between 2021 and 2023. He has also gotten better on designed runs, even while remaining one of the league’s most productive rushing quarterbacks.
The praise wasn’t limited to Allen’s own numbers. An NFL coordinator told ESPN that he lifts the players around him, saying, “Look who he was throwing to.
His wideouts weren't great. But he made it work and brought out their best.”
Several coaches also credited Bills head coach Joe Brady for helping sharpen Allen over the past two seasons. In their view, Brady has built an offense that plays to Allen’s arm strength, mobility and decision-making instead of asking him to take unnecessary chances.
Allen still has room to clean things up after four turnovers in Buffalo’s playoff loss to Denver last season. Even so, the latest league-wide vote shows that NFL decision-makers now see him as the standard at quarterback heading into the 2026 season.
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