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For Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, the calculus of the AFC East doesn’t change too much with the addition of Aaron Rodgers.
The former Green Bay Packers quarterback was traded in April to the New York Jets, who will face the Bills in a Monday Night Football matchup in Week 1. Allen opened up about Rodgers’ jump to the AFC East this week, sharing his thoughts on playing against an off-the-field friend and the new challenge it creates within the division.
Josh Allen: ‘It’s Still Football’
In a May 10 appearance on “Kyle Brandt’s Basement,” Allen said not much will be different with Rodgers helming the Jets.
“He’s definitely a bad man. But at the end of the day, it’s still football,” Allen said. “The goal doesn’t change — it doesn’t matter who’s back there throwing passes for the opposing team. We’re trying to go out there and score more points than them.”
The Jets were competitive in two games against the Bills last season, handing Allen one of only three regular-season losses, a 20-17 win over the Bills in Week 9. The Bills beat the Jets 20-12 in a Week 14 rematch. Allen and Rodgers also faced off in a Week 8 matchup, with the Bills taking down the Packers 27-17.
The Jets went all-in during the offseason, landing Rodgers in a mega-deal that saw the Jets sending first-, second- and sixth-round picks in the recently completed NFL Draft as well as a conditional 2024 second-rounder if Rodgers plays 65% of the team’s plays this season, ESPN reported in April.
Ralph Ventre of SI.com’s Jets Country ranked Rodgers as the second-best quarterback in the division, behind only Allen. But Ventre added that the Jets’ success will depend on whether Rodgers can tap into his previous MVP form.
“The 39-year-old likely still has some magic left in that right arm, but Father Time is undefeated,” Ventre wrote. “The Jets are banking on the idea that there’s enough gas left in the tank to take them to Las Vegas in February. Despite his age, he’s still the second most-potent QB in the division.”
Josh Allen Shares Praise for Aaron Rodgers
While the Jets and Bills will be competing for AFC East supremacy, the rivalry between Allen and Rodgers will likely be a friendly one. The two have grown close off the field, both competing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February and growing friendly with each other.
Allen told Brandt that the two crossed paths again last weekend.
“I love Aaron. I saw him at the (Kentucky) Derby. Got to talk with him for a little bit, like he’s one of my favorite quarterbacks of all time,” Allen said. “I think he’s the most gifted thrower of all time, his body mechanics like I try to emulate what he does. And I’ve been such a big fan of him for so long and to kind of have the relationship that we have like, it’s still surreal to me that he’s taken a liking into me like that.”
While Allen added that he has plenty of admiration for Rodgers, he’s also concerned about the more difficult path to Buffalo winning a fourth straight division title.
“I really do enjoy spending time with him. He’s one of the greatest quarterbacks if not the greatest quarterback to ever play the game and it’s always going to be a challenge in these division games when you add a superstar quarterback like him, it’s just gonna make it that much tougher.”
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