The Buffalo Bills went through major changes this season with a new head coach and a brand new stadium. However, nothing rocked Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s life more than becoming a father.
Allen and his wife, Hailee Steinfeld, welcomed a baby girl, Harper, this offseason. The 2024 league MVP believes becoming a father has made him a better quarterback.
“Sometimes I do get into a space of negative self-talk,” Allen said during an appearance on “Fitz & Whit” with Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth last month. “But as you guys know with your kids, when you go home, they don’t know anything about that. They don’t care about that. They’re just happy to see you.”
“That smile that hits their face when you walk into that door, there is nothing like it,” he continued. “And maybe it allows me to compartmentalize better of when I’m at work, it is all about work. When I step home, I can leave it at the door and be with my family and be a dad and be the best husband that I can be.”
Before facing the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6, Allen sat down with Fox Sports reporter Erin Andrews. He revealed even more personal moments as a father.
Josh Allen Admits He’s Become More Emotional Since Becoming a Girl Dad
Andrews asked how Harper has changed Allen in a way that he didn’t expect. The 30-year-old quarterback took a brief pause before answering.
“As a man, you have a daughter; it does make you a little softer. It makes you a little more affectionate. I’m more emotional and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I look at her and sometimes I just want to cry. Like that’s my daughter, that’s my baby. Me and my wife did this.
“To see her just figure out life. It’s the freakin coolest thing.”
Steinfeld is on the same page. The Oscar-nominated actress shared insight into their life as new parents in a heartfelt letter to their daughter this summer. She gushed, “Your daddy and I look at you often and ask each other the same question: How did we get so lucky to have you?”
Josh Allen Held Back Tears Discussing His Daughter at a Charity Event This Summer
Allen held his annual “117 Holes for Children’s Fundraising” event in May, during which 17 golfers play 117 holes to raise money for The Patricia Allen Fund in partnership with Golisano Children’s Hospital.
Speaking to the crowd at the event on July 28, Allen, who’s worked closely with the young patients for years, said it all hits different now that he’s a father himself.
“Having my daughter,” Allen says before getting choked up and taking a beat to compose himself. “I look at parents differently, because I can picture myself in that situation now where I never could. So I just want to say, you guys are inspiring to me, as well, and everybody here.
“That’s what The Patricia Allen Fund was made for — was not just to help support these kids, but to support these families that are going through such hard times… and this year has just been so different. I can’t really put into words what it means. But I know that feeling of holding your son or daughter and wanting to take away every pain that they may feel.”
Bills QB Josh Allen Shares Personal News Before Raiders Game