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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is naturally already getting some attention for next season’s NFL MVP Award. That’s what happens when you finish second in voting for the honor just a year ago.
But according to ESPN, people at the top are talking.
NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler polled anonymous league executives recently. In his findings, Fowler said the thought is that Allen is the front-runner for this season’s MVP Award.
Here’s Fowler’s analysis:
Allen joined the top-five quarterback discussion after maximizing his enormous potential in 2020. The once-erratic signal-caller completed nearly 70% of his passes for 4,544 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions — and he added another eight scores on the ground. Evaluators now predict another jump in Year 4 with the Bills.
“He’s locked in, they have a great offense around him, they should be in contention and he’ll throw the ball a ton,” an NFC exec said.
Allen dominates the ball like Luka Doncic does in the NBA. His combined 674 total passing and rushing attempts were second in the NFL behind Kyler Murray (691). Allen is either scoring a bucket or recording an assist on most of Buffalo’s downs. Plus, the Bills’ receiver depth is top five in the league, and the offensive line is steady.
The word out of Buffalo is Allen has shown even more growth with pre-snap protections and decision-making. The Chiefs had Allen flustered in the AFC Championship Game, and some evaluators want to see more from him.
“One thing I wonder is how some of these young quarterbacks who succeeded last year in empty stadiums will handle full stadiums,” an AFC exec said. “Some guys rise in that atmosphere and it brings out the best … others struggle.”
Allen is currently tied with Tom Brady for third in odds to win MVP at Caesars Sportsbook at 12-1 (behind Patrick Mahomes at 5-1 and Aaron Rodgers at 10-1).
Per the former world-wide leader, along with Allen, the other names brought up the most were Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Rams QB Matthew Stafford. As a previous MVP Award winner already, Mahomes is probably the bigger competition for Allen.
The potential for Allen to take another step forward after his breakout 2020 season is certainly possible. Buffalo added an experienced playmaker to their offense in Emmanuel Sanders this offseason, something which can only help the QB.
Additionally, some forget after Allen signed his long-term extension this summer that he’s actually still playing on his rookie contract now. He’s still a very young player with room to grow.
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