Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen was selected as the 2024-25 MVP on Thursday night, earning the honor for the first time in his career.

JOSH ALLEN WINS MVP 🏆

UNREAL season for QB1 🐐 pic.twitter.com/qW3gx5YCoc

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 7, 2025

Allen also became the first quarterback in Buffalo Bills history to win the award.

A moment that MVP Josh Allen will cherish for the rest of his life 🏆 @Invisalign

📺: #NFLHonors on FOX & NFLN
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/GaafXND5pV

— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2025

He received 383 votes, including 27 first-place votes. He narrowly beat out Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who earned 362 total votes and 23 first-place votes.

AP NFL Most Valuable Player voting:

Josh Allen: 27-22-1-0-0: 383
Lamar Jackson: 23-26-0-1-0: 362
Saquon Barkley: 0-1-25-19-2: 120
Joe Burrow: 0-1-15-10-12: 82
Jared Goff: 0-0-6-5-19: 47
Patrick Mahomes: 0-0-3-8-6: 31
Ja'Marr…

— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) February 7, 2025

It represented the closest MVP finish since 2016, via the Associated Press.

While fans, pundits and players alike recognized the close finish between Allen and Jackson, they also complimented the Bills signal-caller for the victory.

Congrats to NFL MVP Josh Allen.
Doesn’t matter what you think about who should have won. Josh Allen won it and had a hell of a season.

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) February 7, 2025

MVP JOSH ALLEN #YouAlreadyShnow #LT1 GO BILLS !!!!!!!! @BuffaloBills @NFL

— Dion Dawkins (@DDawkins66) February 7, 2025

josh allen is your 2024 NFL MVP pic.twitter.com/jlgIh89pcv

— Jenna Cottrell (@JennaCottrell) February 7, 2025

REMEMBER WHO WE HAVE

JOSH “MVP” ALLEN 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/89MtM6LouE

— Pierre Kingpin (@Pierre_Kingpin) February 7, 2025

CONGRATS TO JOSH ALLEN FOR WINNING MVP … as I’ve been saying he should for 6 weeks. Lamar had an all-time great year. But the Ravens had 9 Pro Bowlers. Other than Josh, the Bills had one. Case closed.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) February 7, 2025

The voters got it right.

Lamar Jackson was certainly deserving but no one was more valuable to their team this year than #Bills QB Josh Allen.#NFL #NFLHonors #MVP #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/byCFErSFry

— Ryan Talbot (@RyanTalbotBills) February 7, 2025

Josh Allen this season

🏆 37 Big Time Throws (T-1st)

🏆 7.1% BTT rate (1st)

2024 Most Valuable Player pic.twitter.com/A1R1vQHJVC

— PFF (@PFF) February 7, 2025

To think about all the crap Josh Allen took when he came out to see him win the MVP is pretty amazing. He was shredded in the draft process. Now look.

— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) February 7, 2025

Oh hell yeah!!!

First player in NFL history to win MVP and most overrated in same season.

My guy, Josh Allen #BillsMafia https://t.co/9xcFoZ0nCJ

— Adam Schein (@AdamSchein) February 7, 2025

Allen finished the regular season by completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns compared to a career-low six interceptions. He also remained a threat on the ground, rushing for 531 yards and 12 scores.

Josh Allen is playing on another level right now🎯

MVP

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/vp0HaHYEmu

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) December 8, 2024

The 28-year-old earned the third Pro Bowl nod of his career and led the NFL with a 77.3 QBR.

Allen also helped Buffalo clinch its fifth consecutive AFC East crown, ending the regular season with a 13-4 record before advancing to the AFC Championship Game.

He continued to excel in the playoffs, throwing for 636 yards and four touchdowns without getting picked off in three postseason starts.

JOSH ALLEN WITH HIS SECOND TD OF THE DAY 🔥

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/YB7dpC2Wrw

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) January 20, 2025

His success was impressive considering the Bills' lack of a top wide receiver, as Khalil Shakir was the only player on the team to average over 50 receiving yards per game. Shakir was also Buffalo's only receiving option to reach 50 catches during the regular season.

Allen put together another efficient season in the pocket without a supporting cast as strong as past years, resulting in the first MVP victory of his career.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has won his first-ever NFL MVP award after a tremendous 2024 season.

JOSH ALLEN WINS MVP 🏆

UNREAL season for QB1 🐐 pic.twitter.com/qW3gx5YCoc

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 7, 2025

Allen won a close two-man race for the award with two-time NFL MVP and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

AP NFL Most Valuable Player voting:

Josh Allen: 27-22-1-0-0: 383
Lamar Jackson: 23-26-0-1-0: 362
Saquon Barkley: 0-1-25-19-2: 120
Joe Burrow: 0-1-15-10-12: 82
Jared Goff: 0-0-6-5-19: 47
Patrick Mahomes: 0-0-3-8-6: 31
Ja'Marr…

— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) February 7, 2025

The Associated Press released the full breakdown of ballots for each voter, including Tom Brady voting for Jackson over Allen.

The MVP announcement occurred on Thursday during the league's annual NFL Honors show, which took place in New Orleans, the home of Super Bowl LIX.

Allen completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 3,731 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed for 531 yards and 12 more scores.

The seven-year veteran earned Second Team All-Pro honors and led the NFL with a 77.5 QBR.

Allen led the Bills to a 13-4 record, the team's fifth straight AFC East title and the conference's No. 2 seed. Buffalo also had the NFL's second-highest scoring offense.

It was an impressive year for Allen given that the Bills' top two wide receivers, Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, departed for the Houston Texans via trade and the Jacksonville Jaguars via free agency, respectively. They combined for 152 catches, 1,959 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023. Buffalo also released center Mitch Morse in a salary cap-related move.

Buffalo rebuilt the wide receiver room by adding Keon Coleman in the draft, Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins via free agency and Amari Cooper by midseason trade. Allen didn't miss a beat and in fact improved from year-to-year while leading Buffalo to an explosive offensive season.

This year's MVP race ultimately became a battle between Allen and Jackson, although Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff were also finalists. In the end, Allen won the well-deserved honor.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook isn't willing to blame to officials for his team's AFC Championship Game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

"At the end of the day, as a man, you've got to come in there ready to go. F--k that ref s--t," Cook said Thursday on the Kickin' It with Dee podcast (21:30 mark of the video below.) "You got to come in that b---h ready to go, ready to play.

"Don't give a ref nothing to call. That's my answer, bro."

After a controversial ruling left the Bills short of a fourth down in the fourth quarter of a one-point game, the Chiefs pulled ahead late Sunday night to secure their third straight trip to the Super Bowl.

The call came on an attempted sneak by Bills quarterback Josh Allen. At the time, the Bills led the Chiefs 22-21.

Officials reviewed the call but didn't find enough evidence to overturn the ruling on the field.

Had the Bills kept possession, they could have gotten within field goal range and padded their lead. Instead, Buffalo turned the ball over on downs, and the defense was unable to keep Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes out of the end zone on the next drive.

The Chiefs' defense stops them on fourth down!

📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/VwGmEZ3IrW

— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2025

Both Bills head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane pushed back against the ruling after their team was eliminated from the playoffs.

"The look we had in the stadium … I thought he had it," McDermott said Sunday, per NFL.com's Eric Edholm. "Just short of the line was actually the first down, what it looked like to me, when it was sitting next to me with the marker. Just inside that white stripe was the first down. It looked like he got to it. That's all I can say."

Beane told reporters on Thursday his belief Allen had gotten past the marker hadn't changed in the days since the loss.

"It's frustrating. There's only so much I can say. We've worked with the league to try to get clarity, and I'll give them credit. They've taken our calls, they've sent videos, and things like that," Beane said Thursday.

Beane continued: "I feel like he got that. I still feel like he got that. I felt like that in the moment, and nothing has changed my mind on that."

#Bills GM Brandon Beane says he still believes Josh Allen converted on 4th down and nothing has changed his mind—even after speaking with the league.

He also addressed the Xavier Worthy play that was ruled a catch.

His full answer:pic.twitter.com/8aV01ZfI3s

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 30, 2025

Beane also described a failed Bills challenge in the first half, after which officials ruled Xavier Worthy caught a pass contested by multiple Buffalo defenders to bring the Chiefs to first-and-goal, as a "good challenge."

"They've given how they see it, and that's their job... those are just like plays we didn't make in the game, too. So by no means are we saying that's why we lost the game," Beane concluded.

It sounds like Cook sees the loss the same way. He joined Allen as one of the Bills' best offensive performers in the loss, leading the team's rush attack by recording 13 carries for 85 yards and two touchdowns.

Beane could now look to address his team's pass defense, which struggled to contain Mahomes, by improving Buffalo's secondary this offseason as Allen, Cook and the Bills build up for what they hope will be a deeper playoff run next winter.

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane affirmed the prospect of a contract extension with quarterback Josh Allen could be on his list of priorities this offseason.

Beane told reporters Thursday that he and Allen "have a great relationship" and "talk a lot." He added that "there will be a time and place" for tangible contract negotiations.

"Not saying it will or won't happen," Beane said. "We're not there yet in discussing, let alone making that decision. Josh and I talk a lot and he was dejected after the loss, so nothing like that has been discussed."

Allen is signed through the 2028 season, but the Bills are incentivized to extending him well ahead of his free agency.

Being proactive in rewarding him with a pay raise will help to head off any bad blood or unease that can emerge whenever a star player believes he's underpaid. The quicker Buffalo re-signs Allen, the more it could save in the long run as well.

Joe Burrow signed a record-setting extension with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023 ahead of the regular season. At the time, his $55 million average annual salary was the highest ever. Now, Dak Prescott is making $60 million a year from the Dallas Cowboys, while the Jacksonville Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence and Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love have matched Burrow's salary.

Spotrac values Allen, who's making $43 million a year, at $60.1 million in the present market.

Brock Purdy becomes a free agent in 2026, while Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud's rookie deals take them through 2027. Lamar Jackson can hit the open market in 2028. Any one of those players has the potential to reset the QB market before Allen signs his next contract.

The three-time Pro Bowler nonetheless may not be considered a top priority for Beane this spring.

The Bills are projected to be $8.1 million over the salary cap, so they have limited financial resources this offseason. The threat of Allen possibly leaving as a free agent doesn't loom until far down the road, either.

As much as Allen means to the organization, Beane will have more pressing concerns to address.

The Buffalo Bills still haven't wavered in their belief that the wrong call was made on star quarterback Josh Allen's failed fourth-down conversion in the team's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane is the latest to weigh in on the matter, telling reporters on Thursday, "I feel like he got that. I felt like that in the moment and nothing has changed my mind on that."

#Bills GM Brandon Beane says he still believes Josh Allen converted on 4th down and nothing has changed his mind—even after speaking with the league.

He also addressed the Xavier Worthy play that was ruled a catch.

His full answer:pic.twitter.com/8aV01ZfI3s

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 30, 2025

Buffalo was leading 22-21 at the start of the fourth quarter when Allen ran for no gain on fourth-and-1. The replay official upheld the ruling on the field, giving Kansas City the ball back on its own 41-yard line. The Chiefs scored a touchdown on their very next drive to take a 29-22 lead.

The Chiefs' defense stops them on fourth down!

📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/VwGmEZ3IrW

— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2025

After the Bills answered with a touchdown, the Chiefs went ahead with a field goal and held on for a 32-29 win after Allen's fourth-down pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid fell incomplete on Buffalo's final offensive possession. It was the fourth time in the last five years that the Bills lost to the Chiefs in the playoffs.

Beane also addressed the controversial catch by Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy that officials upheld despite a challenge by Bills head coach Sean McDermott, crediting the league for its transparency.

"By no means are we saying that's why we lost this game," Beane told reporters.

MAHOMES THROWING IT UP TO XAVIER WORTHY 😳

📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/mB3IP5ltXL

— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2025

Still, the heartbreak of another postseason loss to Kansas City will linger for quite some time in Buffalo. Allen produced an MVP-caliber season in 2024, and this appeared to be the Bills' best chance to make it back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1993.

Buffalo will now have to regroup and start preparing to try to get over the hump in 2025.

The Buffalo Bills are "intrigued" by the idea of bringing back wide receiver Amari Cooper for a full season with Josh Allen, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Cooper played eight regular-season games and made three playoff appearances with the Bills after being acquired in a midseason trade with the Cleveland Browns.

"The Bills have been happy with Cooper, despite low production compared with past seasons," Fowler wrote. "He has been a good team player in Buffalo... though his free agency future is uncertain, a return to Buffalo does not appear off the table."

Cooper made 32 catches for 297 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season, adding six catches for 41 yards in three playoff appearances.

Most recently he recorded four receptions on four catches for 33 receiving yards as the Bills conceded an AFC Championship Game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cooper played a limited role on the Bills' offense behind top Allen targets like Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman, but he said multiple times throughout the back half of the 2024 season that he didn't mind his move down the depth chart in Buffalo.

"Winning is way more important, and that's all I truly want," Cooper told Syracuse.com's Matt Parrino ahead of the conference title game. "I've had it every other way, and haven't reached the pinnacle of this sport how I would have liked."

After making it as far as the conference championship game this winter, the Bills will look to finally unseat the two-time reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs and represent the AFC in the Super Bowl next season.

The idea of returning to a contending team could motivate Cooper to return to Buffalo, while the Bills could be looking a veteran option to add to a receiving room currently staffed by young stars in Shakir, Coleman and Dalton Kincaid.

Cooper's market value is projected at $14.2 million per year by Spotrac. Although his days as a perennial 1,000-receiving yard player could be over, he could still be a valuable depth option for teams ready to slot him into a reduced role in 2025.

After Dalton Kincaid dropped a tough pass from Josh Allen on a crucial fourth-and-5 in the Buffalo Bills' 32-29 AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Allen is shouldering the blame for the play.

"I got to be better for him," Allen said, per ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg. "I didn't feel like I put him in enough good situations this year, ball placement wise... He can sit there and think about that play over and over, but I got to be better for him. That's what it comes down to and get him more involved."

Kincaid faced criticism following the play, as the ball slipped through his arms, potentially setting up a game-tying field goal attempt for kicker Tyler Bass. However, Bills teammates were quick to emphasize that a single play did not decide the outcome of the game.

Linebacker Terrel Bernard echoed Allen's sentiments.

"I think it's unfair, honestly, to even say (Kincaid lost them the game) and put him in that situation," Bernard said, per Getzenberg. "There's so many plays that it comes down to throughout a game, and we just didn't make enough of 'em."

Allen had nothing but praise for the tight end, highlighting Kincaid's toughness and consistent contributions throughout the season for the 13-4 Bills squad.

"I know he's been battling throughout the entire year, bumps and bruises and probably games that he shouldn't have played he was in, but he's a tough sucker, and I got nothing but, love for him, how he's approached this year," Allen said, per Getzenberg. "He's going to be so much better next year. Let his body heal up, and I'm going to be better, better for him and I can promise you that."

Prior to the drop, the second-year player recorded two catches for 13 yards in the game. He wrapped up the regular season with 448 yards on 44 receptions and two touchdowns, adding six catches for 71 yards in the playoffs.

Despite his successful season, the play hit much harder for Kincaid as he heads into the offseason, being on the receiving end of the criticism.

"Just an opportunity for a play to be made, and just couldn't make the play," Kincaid said after the game, per Getzenberg.

In response to the drop, Baltimore Ravens fans created a GoFundMe with proceeds going to the Summit Center for Autism, a charity Kincaid has worked with in the past.

The goal is $10,000 and as of Monday afternoon, it has raised $3,001.

The move comes after Bills Mafia opened a GoFundMe for Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews following a crucial dropped pass that could have lifted the Ravens to the AFC Championship game, directing funds to the Breakthrough T1D charity.

It is clear that no one on the team will enter the offseason holding Kincaid accountable for the drop, with everyone taking accountability for trailing throughout the game. Soon the play will be something of the pass for the Bills.

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott gave his thoughts on a close fourth-down conversion attempt by Josh Allen that failed during his team's 32-29 defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

"I thought he had it," McDermott said, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "Just short of the line was actually the first down, what it looked like to me when it was sitting next to me with the marker. Just inside that white stripe was the first down. And it looked like he got to it. That's all I can say."

With roughly 13 minutes left in regulation, Allen attempted to move the chains on the ground with one yard to gain on fourth down. He was ruled short, with the play getting reviewed and the call on the field standing.

The Chiefs' defense stops them on fourth down!

📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/VwGmEZ3IrW

— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2025

The previous play is under review pic.twitter.com/NObGPU7gw8

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 27, 2025

CBS Sports rules analyst and former NFL referee Gene Steratore said that he felt like Allen did enough to move the chains on the broadcast.

"I felt like he gained it." - @GeneSteratore pic.twitter.com/Tfcj2CEzpz

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 27, 2025

It was a costly turnover on downs for the Bills, as they held a one-point advantage at the time and were close to entering field-goal range to potentially extend their lead.

The Chiefs quickly scored a touchdown after getting the ball back, and Buffalo wouldn't re-take the lead for the remainder of the contest before eventually failing to convert another fourth-down opportunity with two minutes left in the game.

The Chiefs make the stop on fourth down!

📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/s4rXNURB3z

— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2025

Allen finished 22-of-34 for 237 yards and two touchdowns without throwing an interception, getting sacked twice. He also picked up 39 rush yards on 11 attempts.

The Bills have now fallen to the Chiefs during each of their four playoff meetings since 2020, with three of the postseason defeats containing a one-possession final margin.

Following another hard-fought loss to Kansas City on Sunday, McDermott believed that Allen picked up a first down on a key fourth-quarter drive that ultimately stalled.

Dalton Kincaid was despondent following his dropped pass on Josh Allen's 4th-and-5 heave in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 32-29 AFC Championship Game loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Josh made a hell of an attempt just to get the ball up there. It just sucks a lot not being able to bring it down," he told reporters after the game. "It just hurts a lot. Obviously just knowing we don't get to play another game as this team, and we don't make it on to that next step. Just hurts a lot."

Dalton Kincaid & Dawson Knox on the final play.

It was a very, very hard catch. But it would’ve put the Bills in field goal range with a chance to either tie/take the lead in the final two minutes. pic.twitter.com/K4jRtEBhZa

— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) January 27, 2025

"Right now it obviously hurts a lot, and it's going to linger for a while, but eventually you've got to move on," he added. "And hopefully you grow from this, and I believe that will be the case, but for the time being, it's going to hurt a lot."

With two minutes remaining, the Bills had a 4th-and-5 from their own 47-yard line. The Chiefs sent a disguised blitz from the secondary and Allen went into scramble mode before heaving the ball down the field. Kincaid was open but the ball was slightly underthrown, and he was unable to make a diving grab.

The game wasn't over from there, given that Buffalo had all three timeouts. But the Chiefs picked up a pair of first downs and were able to run out the clock, yet again ending Buffalo's title hopes.

It was another instant classic between the teams, but it finished the same way as every other postseason matchup in the Patrick Mahomes vs. Allen era—with a Kansas City win.

Following the Buffalo Bills' 32-29 AFC Championship Game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Josh Allen shared candid thoughts after falling to the defending champions.

"To be the champs, you got to beat the champs, and we didn't do it tonight," Allen told reporters after the loss.

Josh Allen after not getting past the Chiefs again in the postseason: pic.twitter.com/cxV6ypInsL

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 27, 2025

The 28-year-old quarterback played valiantly on Sunday, completing 64.7 percent of his passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns.

Allen and the Bills fell to the Chiefs once again on Sunday, marking their fourth playoff loss to Kansas City since 2020, including two Divisional Round defeats and two AFC Championship heartbreaks.

On Sunday, it felt as though the Bills might finally conquer their "Final Boss," with the game tied at 29 and just 6:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, the Bills fell short once more, leaving their Super Bowl aspirations unfulfilled.

"You can either get it done or you can't, and we didn't get it done," Allen told reporters.

Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs advanced to their third consecutive Super Bowl, seeking to achieve a feat never accomplished in NFL history: a three-peat as champions.

With Mahomes and the Chiefs' success, the Bills are far from the only team to suffer a heartbreaking loss at their hands.

"They've ended a lot of teams' seasons, too. It's a good squad. They had a good plan tonight, and again they made one more play than we did," Allen told reporters.

Ironically, Allen and the Bills hold a 4-1 record against the Chiefs in the regular season, even handing them one of their two losses this season in a 30-21 victory back in November.

The Bills and Allen will head into the offseason with plenty to ponder, searching for that extra edge needed to finally overcome Mahomes and the Chiefs next season.