50 Fun Facts About Josh Allen

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

The family farm was founded in 1975 by his grandfather, and his Swedish great-grandfather Arvid settled in the area during the Great Depression.

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?

Head coach Tim DeRuyter passed on him twice; Allen sent one final pointed email noting the Bulldogs had committed a quarterback both shorter and lighter than him.

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?

Only Eastern Michigan and Wyoming offered, and Eastern Michigan pulled its offer when he visited Wyoming.

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

Bohl told Allen's father, 'There's only one quarterback we want and that's your son. He's going to be the face of our program.'

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

Wentz later advised Allen to stay in school an extra year, warning that in the NFL veterans would depend on him to 'win games and help secure their jobs.'

What injury cut short Allen's first season at Wyoming after just four pass attempts in his first start?

Because it happened so early in the year he qualified for a medical redshirt, then took over as starter in 2016.

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

The 37–14 win over Central Michigan capped an 8–5 season. He left Wyoming with a social science degree.

In 2025 Wyoming announced Allen would receive an honor no player in program history had received. What was it?

The ceremony took place on November 22, 2025; he was also inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame that year.

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

Buffalo traded up from 12th with Tampa Bay to get him. 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?

ESPN's Dan Graziano had called Allen 'the ultimate boom-or-bust NFL draft prospect' — a raw arm with huge physical gifts.

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

Peterman was benched with a 0.0 passer rating in a 47–3 loss to Baltimore; Allen was named the starter three days later.

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

The play went viral during a 27–6 win, Buffalo's first of the season, and hurdling defenders became an Allen trademark he repeated against the Chiefs and Cardinals.

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

The 99 rushing yards broke Tyrod Taylor's Bills record for a quarterback in a game; Allen ran for 135 more the following week.

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

He completed 52.8% as a rookie and 58.8% in 2019 — before an accuracy leap in 2020 that turned him into an MVP candidate.

In the 2019 Wild Card loss to Houston, Allen did something unusual for a quarterback. What?

John Brown threw him the 16-yard score, echoing Nick Foles' Philly Special. 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?

That was six months before Allen was born. He clinched it 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?

He passed the Hall of Famer's single-season mark 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?

Fans responded by donating to Oishei Children's Hospital in $17 increments, and the hospital named its Patricia Allen Pediatric Recovery Wing in her honor.

In what dollar increments did Bills fans donate to Oishei Children's Hospital for Allen's grandmother?

Seventeen is Allen's jersey number. The hospital named a 10th-floor wing after Patricia Allen and the family set up a fund in her name.

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

Allen received four first-place votes, more than Mahomes, 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'?

Allen threw five touchdowns and only four incompletions — more touchdowns than incompletions in a playoff game.

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

Allen's 149.0 passer rating that postseason is the best ever recorded. Buffalo never touched the ball in overtime.

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

Allen's 149.0 topped Montana's 146.4 from 1989, despite the season ending in overtime at Arrowhead.

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

Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen got both — the first time an NFL defender had done that to a quarterback of the same name.

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

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?

Allen still finished 2022 with his third straight season of 4,000-plus passing yards, 35-plus passing touchdowns and six-plus rushing scores.

In 2023 Allen posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating for the first time. Against which team?

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?

Allen had vouched for Dorsey to replace Daboll. Under Brady the Bills won six of their last seven and a fourth straight division title.

In 2023 Allen tied the NFL single-season record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. How many?

Eight of them came in a five-game late-season surge, and he became the first quarterback with 40 total touchdowns in four straight seasons.

Which Cardinals safety did Allen hurdle on opening day 2024?

He tweaked his non-throwing hand on the play but scored four touchdowns in the comeback win.

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.

In 2024 the Bills became the first team ever to beat two 15-win teams in the regular season. Which two?

Allen combined for 747 total yards and six touchdowns in the two games, including the 26-yard fourth-down scramble that sealed the Chiefs' first loss.

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

He became just the third quarterback to win MVP without being named first-team All-Pro.

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

Jackson took first-team All-Pro; Allen became only the third quarterback to win MVP without it.

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

The deal was worth $330 million overall; his previous 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?

He got No. 66 while rallying Buffalo from 40–25 down in the last four minutes to beat Baltimore 41–40.

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 in Ventura, California, on May 31, 2025?

They started dating in May 2023, went public in July 2024 and got engaged that November; their daughter was born in April 2026.

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 against Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in the June 2022 edition of The Match?

The two AFC rivals teamed up for the sixth edition of the made-for-TV golf exhibition.

How many Super Bowls did Buffalo reach in Allen's eight seasons under Sean McDermott?

The season ended with a 33–30 overtime Divisional loss to Denver in which Allen committed four turnovers; Joe Brady was promoted to replace McDermott.

Against which team did Allen make his first NFL regular-season appearance in September 2018?

He came on after Nathan Peterman posted a 0.0 passer rating in a 47-3 loss, then was named the starter days later.

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

It was the longest rushing score in Bills postseason history and the second-longest by a quarterback.

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.

Allen's 2024 MVP made him only the how-manyth quarterback to win it without being First Team All-Pro?

He took 27 of 50 first-place votes; Lamar Jackson took the All-Pro nod.

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.

Why did Allen's first-year injury at Wyoming leave him with an extra season of eligibility?

The broken collarbone came in his first start after only four pass attempts; he returned in 2016 as the starter.