The 2026 season will be Year 9 in the NFL for Josh Allen, and his first season now in his 30s.
While the vast majority of those years have seen Allen be not only one of the best quarterbacks but one of the best players in all of football, it has never translated into even an appearance in a Super Bowl.
As a result, the clock is ticking on Allen and the Buffalo Bills to win a Lombardi Trophy. While those who are optimistic may point to the likes of John Elway, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning, who broke through and won a Super Bowl with their original teams in Year 9 or later, others are more skeptical.
Analyst Jason McIntyre is one of them, and he recently went as far as to say that he doesn’t think Allen can win a Super Bowl in Buffalo, suggesting he follows the Matthew Stafford path to win somewhere else.
“My overall take on Josh Allen, I think I said last year that the Super Bowl window was closed. I think Josh Allen’s got to leave Buffalo to win a Super Bowl. The same way you saw Matt Stafford, really good quarterback in Detroit, didn’t get to the playoffs as often ‘cuz he never had the supporting cast. And then you put Stafford with the Rams and boom, Super Bowl. Can you imagine Josh Allen winning a Super Bowl in Buffalo? He doesn’t have the infrastructure,”
The 30-year-old Allen is about to enter year two of the six-year, $330 million contract extension he signed with the Bills in March of 2025.
It seems almost impossible to imagine Allen — who has embodied everything it means to play in Buffalo — ever leaving, but if things don’t go well in 2026, he may need to start asking some tough questions.
Patrick Mahomes is back, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow aren’t going anywhere, and that’s without even mentioning the likes of Drake Maye, Justin Herbert, Bo Nix, and Trevor Lawrence. The AFC is a gauntlet, and Allen and the Bills have learned that the hard way for years.
It’s still too early to begin conversations about Allen’s future and whether he should perhaps seek a trade to an NFC contender in search of a Super Bowl. That being said, we’re closer to that point than ever before, so you just can’t discount the importance of this upcoming season.
Next: Arch Manning No Lock to Go First Overall in 2027 NFL Draft?
