NFL executive rips Bills' Josh Allen as 'overrated'

One unnamed veteran NFL executive clearly doesn't believe that Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills is among the best quarterbacks in the league today.

"One of the more overrated players in the NFL," the executive said about Allen while speaking with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. "Immense talent but he makes a lot of mistakes. He's underdeveloped at winning at the line of scrimmage, tends to lock on to targets, more of a thrower than precision passer, forces throws into traffic."

Fowler mentioned that Allen has accumulated a league-best 173 total touchdowns since the start of the 2020 regular season. However, StatMuse shows that Allen has also tossed a league-worst 57 interceptions over that period. Per ESPN stats, Allen finished last season with the second-most picks (18) thrown by a signal-caller.

Allen was also ranked third in the NFL among qualified players with a 69.6 adjusted QBR for the 2023 season. He was a finalist for the Most Valuable Player Award.

"He leaves you wanting more a little bit," an AFC executive said about Allen. "But if you're picking who you want to have to lead your team, he's going to be second or third for most people. The ceiling is still really high. And I don't really feel he was the reason the Bills haven't been able to finish."

When at his best, Allen seemingly possesses the physical attributes needed to be arguably the best overall player at the sport's most important position. The 28-year-old is also responsible for a 5-5 career playoff record, and he has yet to guide Buffalo to a Super Bowl appearance.

"I saw a quarterback who is consistently a high performer who elevates his team at every chance," one "high-ranking NFL official" added about Allen for the ESPN piece.

According to Kevin Patra of the NFL's website, Buffalo left tackle Dion Dawkins recently said that Allen "barked" more during springtime workouts than in previous years following the departures of multiple veteran locker-room presences, including wide receiver Stefon Diggs. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Allen tied for second behind only Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs (+450) at +850 betting odds to win the MVP Award for the upcoming season.