50 Fun Facts About Josh Allen

Josh Allen grew up on a 3,000-acre farm near which small California town?

Firebaugh, a farm town in California's San Joaquin Valley, was home; Allen grew up on his family's 3,000-acre farm and played at Firebaugh High School.

What crop was primarily grown on the Allen family farm?

Allen was a National FFA member and ranked in the top four nationally in diversified crop production of cantaloupe, cotton and wheat in 2014.

How many NCAA Division I scholarship offers did Allen receive out of high school?

He was about 6'3" and 180 pounds and skipped the elite camps to play basketball and baseball. San Diego State offered only a walk-on spot with no guaranteed snaps.

Which college program did Allen root for as a kid but fail to get a scholarship from?

Fresno State, the local Bulldogs he grew up supporting, passed on him under head coach Tim DeRuyter both out of high school and again after junior college.

Where did Allen play his one season of JUCO football before transferring to Wyoming?

An assistant coach there was married to his cousin. He came off the bench in game four, ran for four touchdowns and never gave the job back.

How did Allen try to get FBS programs' attention near the end of his junior-college season?

He mass-emailed every FBS coaching staff in the country late in his junior-college season; only Eastern Michigan and Wyoming responded with scholarship offers.

Which Wyoming head coach was the only FBS head coach to visit the Allen family farm?

Craig Bohl made the trip to the farm himself; he told Allen's father there was only one quarterback Wyoming wanted and that Josh would be the face of the program.

Wyoming's offensive coordinator compared Allen to which quarterback he had recruited at North Dakota State?

Carson Wentz, whom Brent Vigen had recruited and coached at North Dakota State before Wentz went second overall in 2016, was the comparison Vigen drew.

What injury cut short Allen's first season at Wyoming in his first start?

A broken collarbone in his first start, against Eastern Michigan in 2015, ended Allen's year; he returned to take over as Wyoming's starter in 2016.

Which postseason game did Allen win with Wyoming in December 2017 before declaring for the NFL draft?

The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl win, 37-14 over Central Michigan in Boise, capped Wyoming's 8-5 season in 2017 and was Allen's final college game.

What first-in-program-history honor did Wyoming announce for Allen in 2025?

His No. 17 jersey retired was the honor: Wyoming announced in 2025 that Allen would become the first football player in program history to have his number retired.

With which pick of the 2018 NFL draft did the Bills select Allen?

Buffalo took Allen 7th overall after trading up from the 12th pick; Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen were among the other first-round quarterbacks that year.

Which team did the Bills trade with to move up and draft Allen?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dealt Buffalo their first-round pick in exchange for the Bills' first-rounder and two second-round selections in 2018.

Which quarterback did Allen replace to make his NFL debut in Week 1 of 2018?

Nathan Peterman was benched during a 47-3 Week 1 loss in 2018 with a 0.0 passer rating; Allen took over and was named the starter that week.

Which Vikings linebacker did Allen famously hurdle for a first down as a rookie in 2018?

Anthony Barr was the defender Allen leapt over at Minnesota in Buffalo's first victory of 2018; hurdling defenders became an Allen trademark.

Which Jaguars cornerback called Allen 'trash' before he ran for a franchise-record 99 yards against Jacksonville?

Jalen Ramsey had called Allen 'trash' in a preseason GQ interview; Allen's 99 rushing yards set a Bills single-game record for a quarterback, which he raised to 135 the following week.

Which unwanted statistic did Allen lead all qualified NFL passers in during both 2018 and 2019?

Lowest completion percentage among qualified passers was his in both years, 52.8% as a rookie and 58.8% in 2019, before an accuracy leap in 2020 made him an MVP candidate.

What did Allen do, unusually for a quarterback, in the 2019 Wild Card loss to Houston?

He caught a touchdown pass on a trick play: John Brown threw him the 16-yard score, echoing Nick Foles' Philly Special, before Buffalo blew a 16-0 lead and lost 22-19 in overtime.

In 2020 the Bills won their first AFC East title since which year?

The 1995 title under Marv Levy was the previous one, six months before Allen was born; he clinched the 2020 crown with a 48-19 win over Denver in which he accounted for four touchdowns.

Whose franchise records for total TDs and single-season passing TDs did Allen break in 2020?

Jim Kelly's 1991 mark of 33 passing touchdowns fell in a Monday night rout of the Patriots, Buffalo's first sweep of New England since 1999.

Allen played the 2020 upset of Seattle one day after what personal loss?

The death of his grandmother, Patricia Allen, came the day before the 44-34 win over Seattle; fans responded with donations to Oishei Children's Hospital, which later named a pediatric wing for her.

Which Bills general manager traded up to draft Allen in 2018?

Brandon Beane, hired as Bills general manager in May 2017, traded up to take Allen in his first draft running the team in 2018.

Who beat Allen for the 2020 NFL MVP award, with Allen finishing second?

Aaron Rodgers took 44 of the 50 first-place votes; Allen received four, good for second place, after throwing for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Why was the Bills' 47-17 Wild Card win over New England in January 2022 called the first 'perfect offensive game'?

They scored a touchdown on every possession, with no punts, field-goal tries or turnovers; Allen threw five touchdowns against only four incompletions.

In the '13 seconds' loss to Kansas City in January 2022, all four of Allen's touchdown passes went to whom?

Gabe Davis caught all four, setting a playoff record for receiving touchdowns in one game; Buffalo never touched the ball after Kansas City tied it with 13 seconds left and won in overtime.

Whose record for highest passer rating in a single postseason did Allen break in 2021–22?

Joe Montana's 146.4 from the 1989 postseason was the mark; Allen's 149.0 topped it despite the season ending in overtime at Arrowhead.

In 2021 Allen was sacked and intercepted by an opposing defender who shared what with him?

His exact name: Jaguars pass rusher Josh Allen both sacked and intercepted quarterback Josh Allen in Jacksonville's 9-6 upset in November 2021.

Allen's 98-yard touchdown pass against Pittsburgh in 2022 tied which franchise record?

Longest passing play in Bills history, at 98 yards, was the record it tied; it came in a 38-3 rout in which Allen threw for 424 yards and four scores.

Which Bills player's on-field emergency made the 2022 Cincinnati game a no-contest?

Damar Hamlin, a Bills safety, collapsed in cardiac arrest after a tackle in Cincinnati on January 2, 2023; the NFL declared the game a no-contest, and Hamlin recovered.

Against which team did Allen post his first perfect 158.3 passer rating in 2023?

The Miami Dolphins were the victims: he went 21 of 25 for 320 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for another, in a 48-20 win.

Which offensive coordinator did the Bills fire midway through 2023, promoting Joe Brady?

Ken Dorsey, whom Allen had vouched for to replace Brian Daboll, was fired after a Week 10 loss; under Brady the Bills won six of their last seven and a fourth straight division title.

How many rushing touchdowns did Allen score in 2023, tying the single-season quarterback record?

15 rushing touchdowns matched Jalen Hurts's total that same season for the quarterback record; Allen also became the first quarterback with 40 total touchdowns in four straight seasons.

Which Cardinals safety did Allen hurdle on opening day 2024?

Budda Baker was the safety Allen leapt over; he scored four touchdowns, two passing and two rushing, in a 34-28 comeback win over Arizona.

In 2024 against San Francisco, Allen became the first NFL quarterback ever to do what in a single game?

The passing and receiving scores came on an improvised hook-and-lateral with Amari Cooper in the snow.

Which two 15-win teams did the Bills beat in the 2024 regular season, an NFL first?

Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions both finished 15-2; Allen's 26-yard fourth-down touchdown run sealed a 30-21 win over Kansas City, and Buffalo won 48-42 in Detroit.

How many of the 50 first-place votes did Allen receive when he won the 2024 NFL MVP?

27 first-place votes went to Allen against 23 for the runner-up, giving him the award on points, 383 to 362.

Whom did Allen edge out for the 2024 AP NFL MVP award?

Lamar Jackson, who had thrown 41 touchdowns against four interceptions, finished second; Jackson took first-team All-Pro while Allen took the MVP.

How much guaranteed money was in the six-year extension Allen signed in March 2025, a record at the time?

$250 million guaranteed came in a six-year, $330 million deal; his 2021 extension had been worth up to $258 million with $150 million guaranteed.

Whose Bills record for career rushing touchdowns (65) did Allen break in the 2025 opener?

Thurman Thomas's 65 fell when Allen scored his 66th while rallying Buffalo from 40-25 down in the final four minutes of a 41-40 opening win.

Whose NFL record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback did Allen pass in November 2025?

He tied Newton at 75 with a three-pass, three-rush touchdown game against Tampa Bay, then took the record outright with an 8-yard score against Pittsburgh.

Which actress and singer did Allen marry on May 31, 2025?

Hailee Steinfeld and Allen began dating in 2023, went public in July 2024 and got engaged that November before their May 2025 wedding in California.

In 2025 Allen left Nike for which shoe brand, which agreed to fund youth sports in his hometown?

The youth-sports funding for his hometown was written into the endorsement agreement.

Who partnered Josh Allen in the June 2022 edition of The Match, the televised golf exhibition?

Patrick Mahomes teamed with Allen in the sixth edition of the made-for-TV golf exhibition, played in Las Vegas, and the AFC rivals won the match.

Whose Bills single-season passing-yards record did Allen break with 4,544 yards in 2020?

Drew Bledsoe's 4,359 yards in 2002 had stood as the Bills' single-season passing record until Allen threw for 4,544 in 2020.

Which receiver, acquired from Minnesota in 2020, led the NFL in catches with Allen throwing?

Stefon Diggs, acquired from the Vikings in March 2020, led the NFL with 127 receptions and 1,535 yards in his first season catching Allen's passes.

How long was Allen's career-long touchdown run against Pittsburgh in the January 2024 Wild Card game?

52 yards was the distance of the run, Allen's career long for a touchdown, in a snow-delayed 31-17 win over the Steelers in January 2024.

Allen led the NFL in yards per carry in 2021 with what average?

He also set a career high with 409 completions and 4,407 passing yards that season.

Who was the Bills' head coach when the team drafted Allen in 2018?

Sean McDermott, hired in January 2017, was in his second season as Bills head coach when the team drafted Allen in 2018.

Buffalo's Wild Card win at Jacksonville in January 2026 was its first road playoff win since which year?

Allen completed 28 of 35 passes and had three total touchdowns in the 27-24 comeback.

In which conference did Allen's Wyoming Cowboys compete?

Mountain West membership took Wyoming to the 2016 conference title game, which Allen and the Cowboys lost to San Diego State.