“QB Rankings Debate: Fans and Players Rally Behind Josh Allen”
Hill’s ranking attracted attention and backlash from Bills fans, some of whom criticized him for the omission.
Bills Fans React to Rankings
Hill’s evaluation elicited strong responses from Bills fans, with some speculating that Hill might harbor resentment due to recent losses to Allen and the Bills.
“Josh has hurt this man on so many levels,” one fan commented on X in reaction to Hill’s rankings.
While Hill experienced considerable success against the Bills with the Chiefs, the situation changed after his trade to the Dolphins. The Bills eliminated the Dolphins from the playoffs in 2022 and claimed the AFC East title from them in the last game of the previous season.
Kyle Silagyi of SI.com’s Bills Central questioned how Mayfield could have made the list given his inconsistent performance. Mayfield, who was selected ahead of Allen in the 2018 NFL Draft, struggled with the Cleveland Browns before moving between teams and eventually leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs last season.
Silagyi wrote, “Several quarterbacks are more deserving of a top-five ranking than Mayfield, notably Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow. Allen and Burrow are undeniable franchise quarterbacks, with Allen leading his team to five consecutive playoff appearances and recording over 40 touchdowns for an NFL-record four straight seasons.”
More Surprising Takes on Josh Allen
Hill wasn’t the only AFC star to make waves with his assessment of Allen this offseason. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud also initially left Allen off his own list, shared last month.
Stroud faced some backlash when his list was first revealed in an Instagram teaser for his June 2 appearance on the “Million Dollaz Worth of Game” podcast, but he quickly updated his rankings. Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports noted that Stroud took to social media to include both Allen and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
DeArdo observed, “In his updated list (posted on his Instagram account), Stroud retained the same top-three quarterbacks but placed Josh Allen at No. 4 and moved Prescott to fifth, omitting Hurts. Stroud added that he considers Joe Burrow to be among the NFL’s top five quarterbacks. Burrow, however, missed nearly half of the 2023 season due to injury, likely why he was initially excluded from Stroud’s list.”
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, focusing on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, and Miami Dolphins. He previously wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and was the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management, and Training & Conditioning. Based in Rochester, New York, he is passionate about football.