Getty Bill quarterback Josh Allen at Highmark Stadium on January 21, 2024.
While the Buffalo Bills fell short of making it to the Super Bowl this year, quarterback Josh Allen still had a record-breaking season. During the 2024 NFL honors, which aired live on February 8, Allen was one of five finalists competing for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Allen arrived in Las Vegas ahead of the awards ceremony, which took place at the Resorts World Theatre. While fans and the media waited to see Allen walk down the red carpet, he was nowhere to be seen. When the ceremony started, he was still MIA.
Toward the end of the event, Barstool Sports’ Dan “Big Cat” Katz revealed Allen’s location. Turns out the 27-year-old skipped the awards ceremony to join Teak Yak at The Dozen Trivia Competition.
Katz posted, “I called Josh 2 hours before the show was starting. He moved his dinner to help a friend in need. An all time hero move. Guys guy through and through.”
WHAT A PULL. JOSH ALLEN.
While the no-show may come as a surprise, earlier in the day, Allen told The Buffalo News his true feelings about being in Las Vegas and not playing in the Super Bowl.
“I mean, it sucks. I don’t like doing this stuff, you know?” Allen said. “But to partner with some cool brands, again, that kind of comes with the territory. As a kid, you always kind of looked at this and thought, ‘If I’m in this position, I think it would be pretty cool to come out here and do some cool things.’ I guess that makes it a little better to at least be here, but I don’t want to be here.”
Batavia Daily’s Alex Brasky posted, “Josh Allen is playing barstool trivia during the nfl honors… my guy dgaf.” One fan wrote, “In Vegas and just hanging w/ the boys instead of at The NFL Honors. What a dude.”
Fans Were Hoping to See Josh Allen & Hailee Steinfeld Make Their Red Carpet Debut
While fans were excited to see Allen in Las Vegas, they were also hoping to see his girlfriend, Hailee Steinfeld. Steinfeld and Allen made their first public appearance together back in October, but this would’ve marked the couple’s red-carpet debut.
Sweet Baby Jesus 🙏🏼, please let @JoshAllenQB and @HaileeSteinfeld show up together for the 📺:#NFLHonors Thursday night. I need this in my life.
#MVP
Allen and the Oscar-nominated actress have been dating since last May. While the couple keeps a very low profile, they are still going strong. A week after the Bills’ postseason journey came to an abrupt end, Allen and Steinfeld were spotted together in Southern California.
However, Allen ultimately skipped the ceremony altogether, which means the couple’s red carpet debut will have to wait. Allen has attended the NFL honors twice before, in 2020 and 2022. He finished third in MVP voting in 2022 and was runner-up in 2020. Both times he brought along his ex-girlfriend, Brittany Williams. Allen and Williams broke up in April 2023.
Josh Allen Was Not Predicted to Win the MVP Award
4,830 total yards and 44 total touchdowns is just absurd…unless your name is Josh Allen. Is he your MVP? 🎮 @invisalign
📺: #NFLHonors – Thursday Feb. 8 on CBS & NFLN
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus
Allen led the league in total touchdowns (44) and total yards (4,830). He also led the Bills to their fourth-consecutive AFC East title. The Wyoming alum set a new NFL record by scoring both a passing and rushing touchdown in 10 games during the regular season. However, Allen was not expected to win this year’s MVP Award.
The Bills franchise star is up against four other candidates: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, and Niners running back Christian McCaffrey.
Jackson was the expected front-runner win the MVP award for the second time in his career. The 27-year-old won the vote unanimously back in 2019. And he ultimately won again in 2024. This past season, Jackson led the league in touchdown passes and led the league’s highest scoring offense.
However, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso believed the award should’ve been Allen’s this year. He posted, “Although he’s very unlikely to win, Josh Allen was the Most Valuable Player in the 2023 season.”
Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey wrote, “Allen would be the front-runner to win MVP if the award was only handed out for the second half of the regular season… but he had multiple bad performances in the first half that make his resume incomplete.”