Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has made a big impression on former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin is transitioning to his new career as a commentator after his surprise exit in Pittsburgh and made waves this week with some comments on Allen. Though he faced two of the NFL’s top quarterbacks in his division, Tomlin picked Allen as the best in the league right now.
Mike Tomlin Gives Josh Allen Big Endorsement
In an interview with Pro Football Focus, Tomlin was asked what current NFL quarterback he would love to coach. Tomlin passed over former rivals Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals, instead picking Allen.
“It’s Josh for me, man,” Tomlin said on the PFF NFL Show. “It just seems like he’s at his best in the most critical moments. Late in the games, he finds a way to do it, and he can do it with his arms. He can do it with his legs. He looks like not only does he want it, he needs it. He looks like he’s built for it,” said Tomlin.
“I got a lot of respect for that dude. That’s the dude as far as I’m concerned.”
Tomlin’s defenses performed well against Allen, even though the Bills quarterback had a 4-1 lifetime record against Tomlin’s teams. Allen had a passer rating of 87.7 with 1,194 passing yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions against Tomlin’s Steelers teams — all below his lifetime averages.
Josh Allen Faces Big Expectations
The Bills have a lot of pressure heading into the 2026 season after the offseason firing of longtime head coach Sean McDermott. The team installed offensive coordinator Joe Brady as the new coach and traded for DJ Moore as a new deep threat for Allen.
The Bills earned the No. 3 spot on the Yahoo Sports power ranking, with the outlet calling Buffalo the biggest threat to take down the favorite Los Angeles Rams.
“The Buffalo Bills displayed some urgency to get Josh Allen to a Super Bowl, firing Sean McDermott after an overtime loss in the divisional round of the playoffs,” the report noted. “They hired Joe Brady as their new head coach, traded for receiver DJ Moore and made some improvements to the defense in chase of a championship. Allen turned 30 in May, which isn’t ancient for a quarterback. But there won’t be infinite opportunities with him either.”
The outlet predicted that if the Bills can finally get over the hump and into the Super Bowl, they’ll likely face the Rams.
“Allen has had some monster games against the Rams, if that ends up being a Super Bowl matchup,” the report noted. “In three outings against the Rams, he has 950 passing yards and 10 touchdowns with 146 rushing yards and five more touchdowns on the ground. His average against the Rams is more than 300 yards passing, almost 50 yards rushing and five total touchdowns. Those Los Angeles defenses didn’t have Myles Garrett, but Allen has torched Sean McVay’s teams before.”
Mike Tomlin Turns Heads With Comment on Bills QB Josh Allen