Established in 1960 as one of the eight founding members of the American Football League (AFL), the Buffalo Bills have a storied history, marked by early struggles, success in the 1960s, a resurgence in the 1990s and a return to competitiveness in recent years.
Through it all, the team has had several intriguing signal-callers leading the way, although only a few have become team legends. The Bills have just one quarterback in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the team has yet to win a Super Bowl in the modern era.
Still, the Bills have been a formidable force throughout history, and when they’ve been good, they’ve always had a talented QB under center. Let’s take a look at the 10 best quarterbacks to ever play in Buffalo, counting down from No. 10.
*Note: All awards and stats listed below are from each player’s tenure with the Bills only. All stats are from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise stated.
10. J.P. Losman
GettyEx-Bills QB J.P. Losman.
- Years as a Bill: 2004-2008
- Iconic performance: December 17, 2006, against the Miami Dolphins, Losman threw for 200 yards and 3 TDs in Buffalo’s 21-0 win.
J.P. Losman’s inclusion on this list speaks more to the Bills’ lack of stars at the position throughout their history than anything else. Still, Losman gets points for sticking around as long as he did. He spent five seasons in Buffalo during a rough stretch for the franchise, throwing for 6,211 passing yards (10th on the team’s all-time passing yardage list) and 33 TDs (also 10th). Losman also threw 34 picks, which is far from ideal. He was never a gunslinger, but he was serviceable enough.
9. Trent Edwards
GettyEx-Bills quarterback Trent Edwards.
- Years as a Bill: 2007-2010
- Iconic performance: December 9, 2007 vs. the Dolphins, Edwards threw 4 TDs in a 38-17 Bills victory.
Another QB who was with the Bills during hard times, Trent Edwards, like Losman, had an up and down tenure in Buffalo. In his four seasons with the Bills, he threw for 5,739 yards (11th all time) and 25 TDs (12th). The Bills started the 2008 season with a 5-1 mark under Edwards, but faltered down the stretch and finished 7-9, largely due to injuries to key players. He finished with a slightly better record as a starter than Losman, won just 10 games, while Edwards went 14-18 in 32 starts, so we thought he deserved a fringe spot on the list, as well.
8. Doug Flutie
GettyEx-quarterback Doug Flutie of the Buffalo Bills.
- Years as a Bill: 1998-2000
- Awards:
- Pro Bowl selection (1998)
- NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1998)
- Iconic performance: November 1, 1998, against the Dolphins, Flutie threw for 206 yards and 3 TDs in a 30-24 win.
It was short, but QB Doug Flutie’s time in Buffalo was relatively sweet. A veteran when he signed on, Flutie led the Bills to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth in his first season, and his knack for making unorthodox but effective throws endeared him to fans and earned him the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award in 1998. In 1999, Flutie led the Bills to a 11-5 record and another playoff berth, but controversy arose when former coach Wade Phillips benched a healthy Flutie in favor of the younger Rob Johnson. The move proved to be the beginning of the end of his time in Buffalo, but Flutie led seven game-winning drives, and his 7,582 passing yards is 8th on the team’s all-time list. He deserves a spot here.
7. Drew Bledsoe
GettyFormer Buffalo Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe.
- Years as a Bill: 2002-2004
- Awards:
- Pro Bowl selection (2002)
- Iconic performance: September 15, 2002, against the Minnesota Vikings, Bledsoe threw for 463 yards and 3 TDs in a high-scoring affair, leading the Bills to a 45-39 win.
Quarterback Drew Bledsoe made an immediate impact during his first year in Buffalo. In 2002, he set a new single-season franchise record for passing yards (4,359), which stood until 2020. He made the Pro Bowl that year, and his arrival brought renewed optimism to the team, which finished the 2002 season 8-8, showing a significant improvement from their 3-13 record the year before. After that, though, Bledsoe’s performance waned over the next two seasons. Still, his 10,151 passing yards sits 6th all-time in the Bills’ record books, and his 55 TDs ranks 6th, as well.
6. Ryan Fitzpatrick
GettyEx-Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.
- Years as a Bill: 2009-2012
- Iconic performance: September 11, 2011, Fitzpatrick tossed 4 TDs, also throwing for 208 yards in a dominant 41-7 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
One of the most entertaining QBs of his generation, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s three seasons with the Bills were full of ups and downs. His gritty playing style, football savvy and big arm endeared him to Bills fans, and he quickly became a central figure of the team. He turned the ball over too much (he threw 64 interceptions in his three years with the Bills), and he never took the team to the playoffs, but he was also capable of huge games. His 80 TD passes ranks 4th in team history, and he’s currently 5th in passing yards (11,654). At the end of the day, Fitzmagic remains a memorable figure in Buffalo for his passionate play and uniquely stoic leadership.
5. Tyrod Taylor
GettyFormer Bills QB Tyrod Taylor.
- Years as a Bill: 2015-2017
- Awards:
- Pro Bowl selection (2015)
- Iconic performance: December 6, 2015 against the Houston Texans, Taylor threw 3 TDs and ran for another in a 30-21 Bills win.
Still active in the NFL as of the 2024 season, Tyrod Taylor played a key role in the team’s resurgence in the mid 2010s. He led the Bills to the playoffs in 2017, ending the team’s 17-year playoff drought. A dual threat, Taylor had 1,416 rushing yards over his three seasons in Buffalo, according to PFF, and he was also incredibly efficient. He posted a turnover-worthy play percentage of just 1.07% as a Bills starter, also per PFF, which was among the best in the league. In his three years in a Bills uniform, he threw for 51 touchdowns with just 16 interceptions, showcasing excellent ball security. His time with the team was brief, but it was an absolute success.
4. Jack Kemp
Wikimedia CommonsOfficial portrait of former Bills QB and then-Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Jack Kemp.
- Years as a Bill: 1962-1967, 1969
- Awards:
- 2-time AFL champion (1964, 1965)
- 2-time AFL championship MVP (1964, 1965)
- AFL Most Valuable Player (1965)
- First-team All-Pro (1965)
- Second-team All-Pro (1966)
- 5-time Pro Bowl selection
- Iconic performance: December 4, 1960, Kemp threw for 289 yards and 3 TDs, also rushing for two more scores in the Bills’ 41-17 trouncing of the Raiders.
One of the team’s first true stars at the quarterback position, Jack Kemp was instrumental in Buffalo’s success during the 1960s, leading the team to two AFL championships. His leadership and on-field performance earned him the AFL’s Most Valuable Player award in 1965, after guiding the Bills to a 23-0 victory in the championship game against the Chargers. His 15,134 passing yards ranks 4th in team history, and his 77 TD passes ranks 5th. Kemp bringing the team two championships alone warrants a spot in the top 5, but he’s a shoo-in when looking at his production.
3. Joe Ferguson
GettyEx-Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson.
- Years as a Bill: 1973-1984
- Iconic performance: Week 4 of the 1979 season, Ferguson threw for 367 yards and a career-high 5 touchdowns in a 46-31 win over the New York Jets.
In 1973, Joe Ferguson emerged as a durable and reliable starter, and he wound up having a long and productive career in Buffalo. He started 163 games for the Bills over his career and put up impressive numbers, throwing for 27,590 yards (2nd in franchise history) and 181 touchdowns (also 2nd). We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the ex-Bills’ QB’s toughness, as well. Despite playing in an era when quarterbacks were not as protected as they are today, Ferguson consistently played through injuries, including a memorable 1980 season when he led the Bills to the playoffs while playing with a broken ankle.
2. Josh Allen
GettyBuffalo Bills QB Josh Allen.
- Years as a Bill: 2018-present
- Awards:
- Second-team All-Pro (2020)
- 2-time Pro Bowl (2020, 2022)
- Iconic performance: September 20, 2020 vs. the Dolphins, Allen put on a show, throwing for 415 yards and 4 TDs in a 31-28 win.
The perfect combination of a big-armed passer and a deceptively powerful runner, QB Josh Allen‘s unique blend of size and athleticism have made him the face of the Bills’ resurgence as a perennial playoff contender. From 2019 through 2023, Buffalo has made the playoffs every year with Allen under center. He has also re-written the record books in his seven seasons. Allen has four consecutive 4,000-yard passing seasons heading into 2024, which no Bills player had ever done before. Barring a major setback, he’ll move into No. 2 on the team’s all time passing TDs list in 2024 and he already has over 23,000 passing yards, which is also ranked 3rd.
1. Jim Kelly
GettyLegendary Bills quarterback Jim Kelly.
- Years as a Bill: 1986-1996
- Awards:
- First-team All-Pro (1991)
- Second-team All-Pro (1992)
- 5-time Pro Bowl selection (1987, 1988, 1990–1992)
- Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Iconic performance: Kelly threw for a career-high 403 yards and 3 TDs, out-dueling 49ers legend Steve Young in a 34-31 Bills over the San Francisco 49ers on September 30, 1992.
Currently the only Bills quarterback to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Jim Kelly led the squad to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s, a feat unmatched in NFL history. While the Bills never won a Lombardi, Kelly still made his mark on the league. Known for his leadership and skill in running the Bills’ “K-Gun” no-huddle offense, Kelly helped revolutionized the league’s passing game during that era. He finished with a 101-59-0 record as a starter, and is tops in team history in most major passing categories, including yards (35,467), TD passes (237), completions (2,874) and game-winning drives (28).
Check out our 11th pick and tell us how we did in the comments!
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The 10 Best Buffalo Bills Quarterbacks of All Time, Ranked