AP Photo
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen jogs off the field after a game against the New England Patriots on Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.
ORCHARD PARK — Marriage, fatherhood and an NFL MVP honor were the furthest things on Josh Allen’s mind when he arrived in Buffalo as a raw but promising quarterback prospect in April 2018.
“Envisioning it? I was just trying to figure out protections and how to throw the ball correctly,” Allen said Wednesday with a laugh, reflecting on his rookie year as a first-round draft pick out of Wyoming. “We’ve come a long way.”
He could say that again.
Over eight seasons, the NFL’s reigning MVP has been undeterred in his quest to prove his many draft-year critics wrong by developing into one of the league’s elite while transforming the Bills into perennial contenders.
In the meantime, the 29-year-old also has matured personally in a year when he married actor/singer Hailee Steinfeld in May followed by the couple announcing last week that they are expecting their first child.
“Yeah, I guess it’s like the evolution of life,” Allen said. “I consider this place my home. It’s where I’ve done a lot of growing up. And it’s a place that I’ll raise a family. It’s really cool.”
In doing so, Allen has masterfully balanced his private life and professional career amid the many distractions that come with stardom.
Word of Steinfeld’s pregnancy shed light on what was considered a curious comment Allen made during a “Monday Night Football” interview in mid-October. Asked what Steinfeld has taught him, Allen paused before saying: “Maybe I am more than a football player.”
While some questioned whether that represented a shift in the quarterback’s focus, especially at a time the Bills went into a two-game skid, Allen told The Associated Press on Wednesday that learning of his wife’s pregnancy factored into his response.
“Overjoyed, absolutely overjoyed,” Allen said, confirming he learned he was going to be a father well before the interview was conducted.
Steinfeld, coming off a year in which she earned acclaim for her role in the movie “Sinners,” announced her pregnancy on Friday in a message on her weekly Substack newsletter listing her favorite moments of the year.
The message closed with a video of the couple holding hands next to a tiny snowman. Steinfeld wore a sweater that read “mother,” with Allen kneeling to kiss her baby bump.
“It just kind of came about,” Allen said of the announcement.
He since has put to rest any questions about his commitment to football.
Buffalo (10-4) is in position to clinch its seventh straight playoff berth as early as this Sunday, with a game at Cleveland (3-11). The Bills have won four of five, the last two in which they’ve overcome double-digit deficits.
And Allen is leading the way over that five-game stretch with 10 touchdowns passing and five rushing while working his way back into the MVP conversation.
His 37 touchdowns (25 passing, 12 rushing) are tied with Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for the league lead. And Allen is one touchdown away from becoming the NFL’s first player to reach the 300-TD plateau before turning 30.
“I’m just trying to do my job, just trying to find a way to get in the playoffs here,” Allen said, dismissing MVP talk.
Coach Sean McDermott praised Allen’s development as a player and person.
“Some of the things he’s done are unprecedented in terms of what a quarterback has been able to accomplish,” McDermott said.
“And the human side to Josh Allen is, I also believe, what endears him in addition to his play to this community and around the world because he’s real,” McDermott added. “It’s refreshing to see just a real authentic person that also is the face of the franchise.”
Guard David Edwards laughed when told he and his fellow offensive lineman will have a newborn Allen to protect.
“They’re such great people, guys you love to be around. To see them so excited and happy, I’m just so happy for them,” Edwards said.
Making it even better is Allen’s ability to stay rooted and not allowing room for distractions.
“One of his super powers, of which there are many, is his ability to turn it on and off. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Edwards said. “One of his many great traits is being able to separate being on and off, keeping private and public life separate. There’s so many admirable things about him. That’s why he’s the man.”
And expectant dad.
