Exclusive: Why Bills legend has zero questions about taking Josh Allen over Patrick Mahomes appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There’s no doubt in Thurman Thomas’ mind who the best quarterback in the NFL is. The Buffalo Bills’ legend knows a great quarterback when he sees one. The Pro Football Hall of Fame running back played alongside Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly for years, helping lead the Bills to their greatest period of success in franchise history, advancing to four consecutive Super Bowls (1990-1993). During Kelly’s 11 seasons in Buffalo, the Bills went to the playoffs eight times.
Fast forward to the present day, and Josh Allen is the franchise quarterback of the Bills. The 30-year-old has already accomplished just about everything with the exception of making a Super Bowl. He has already won an MVP and has already racked up the most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in NFL history (79) and in a single season (15).
Allen has led the Bills to seven consecutive playoff appearances, the longest active streak in the NFL. It’s a major reason why Thomas considers Allen to be the best quarterback in the NFL above the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes.
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“I think he’s the best,” said Thomas in a one-on-one interview with ClutchPoints on behalf of his partnership with Carhartt. “People are gonna say, ‘Well, Patrick Mahomes.’ Well, Patrick Mahomes didn’t have a great year. They didn’t make the playoffs. Lamar didn’t make the playoffs. It was Josh that has continued this trend of making the playoffs for the last eight years in a row. The guy’s throwing for 4000 yards, he’s scoring 17 touchdowns. He’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing as a football player for the Buffalo Bills, and that’s why I think he’s the best quarterback in the National Football League. And to be honest with you, we could probably be saying that for the next two or three years.”
Thomas has a point in the fact that Allen is coming off another great campaign during the 2025 season in which he posted a 102.2 passer rating — higher than his MVP year of 101.4 passer rating — while throwing for career highs with a 69.3% completion rate and 8.0 yards per pass attempt. He also posted 14 rushing touchdowns, just one off his career high in a single season.
The Bills also once again had a strong season, going 12-5 while coming within a play of defeating the Denver Broncos to advance to the AFC Championship Game. They lost that game 33-30 in overtime, including a controversial interception call during the extra period.
Meanwhile, Mahomes and the Chiefs struggled through their worst season since he became the starting quarterback in 2018, going 6-11 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Mahomes also posted the worst passer rating of his starting career last year with an 89.6 before a knee injury ended his season.
On the other side of the equation, Mahomes supporters would argue this — he’s gone 4-0 against Allen in the playoffs, with all of those wins coming by one possession. To top it off, Mahomes has three Super Bowl rings, with Allen having zero.
It all depends on what your argument is, but Thomas is certainly right that Allen is coming off a better year and has had more recent success. However, Mahomes clearly has Allen’s number in big games and the overall resume.
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