Getty New Buffalo Bills tight end Jacob Hollister celebrates a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys.
When the Buffalo Bills signed wide receiver Tanner Gentry to their practice squad towards the end of last season, quarterback Josh Allen got one of his favorite targets back from Wyoming back. Now, he’s getting another and Buffalo’s newest tight end is excited about the reunion.
New Bills tight end Jacob Hollister met with the media on Monday after signing his one-year deal with the Bills and revealed that with Allen at the helm of a high-powered offense and the culture the Bills are building, it seemed like Buffalo was the perfect fit for him.
“It just seemed like the best situation when it came to the culture and really just the type of building that you want to be in,” Hollister said during his video conference call.
“I talked to Josh the day before I committed to signing here, he had nothing but amazing things to say.”
During Allen’s second season at Wyoming, the strong-armed quarterback threw for 3,203 yards and 28 touchdowns while completing 56% of his passes. While Gentry recorded 72 catches for 1,326 yards and 14 touchdowns, Hollister caught 32 passes for 515 yards and seven touchdowns.
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Reuniting With Allen Was a Prime Factor in Hollister Choosing Buffalo
Through the first four years of his career in the NFL, Hollister has gotten to play with some exciting quarterbacks. While playing for the New England Patriots in 2017 and 2018, Hollister played with Tom Brady. He’s also spent the last two years with the Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson.
According to Bradley Gelber from USA Today’s Bills Wire, Wilson even sent a parting message to Hollister after the news broke that he was signing with the Bills.
Russell Wilson with a goodbye message for new #Bills TE Jacob Hollister.
Hollister said having the opportunity to play with Allen again was one of the main reasons why he chose to come to Buffalo.
“Josh is just a baller, so I love playing with him,” Hollister said. “Honestly that was a huge deciding factor for me coming here was getting to play with him again. He’s that type of guy that you feel confident to huddle with.”
Allen and Hollister’s connection actually goes even deeper than just playing together. Before Allen even decided to attend Wyoming, Hollister hosted his future quarterback on a visit. Hollister immediately noticed some of the traits that have made Allen one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
“He has a ton of confidence, has a ton of confidence in his teammates, coaches, and everybody,” Hollister said. “I think that’s the first thing that I realized with Josh was this is a really confident dude and that gives the rest of the team confidence around him for sure.”
The Bills have been feeding off that confidence for the past three years as they’ve become one of the top teams in the AFC and have one of the best offenses in the entire NFL.
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Hollister Believes His Versatility Could Help Buffalo
In his four years in the NFL, Hollister has caught 74 passes for 652 yards and six touchdowns. He’s caught three each of the past two seasons and has topped at least 200 years during both seasons.
Hollister is hoping to become just another dangerous weapon in the Bills offense and believes his versatility will help him do so.
“I think that my versatility is something that I bring to the team that I’m really excited about,” Hollister said. “I like an offensive coordinator to have a really good feeling about moving me anywhere and being comfortable with it, whether that’s in the run game or pass game. I want them to feel comfortable with me being outside wide as a receiver, in the slot, in the backfield, whatever it is.”
Although he only played in 11 games, Hollister set career-highs in 2019 when he caught 41 passes for 349 yards.
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