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Alaina Getzenberg
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen’s walk up to his front row seat for new Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady’s news conference Thursday was not a fast one.
He was on crutches with his right foot in a walking boot following surgery Monday morning in Birmingham, Alabama. The surgery was done on a broken bone in his foot — the fifth metatarsal. Allen, 29, said the injury stemmed from an older incident that he aggravated in a Week 16 win over the Cleveland Browns. He did not miss any playing time due to the injury, though the reigning MVP described it as painful.
Allen did have to decline his appearance at the Pro Bowl Games during Super Bowl week due to injury.
«It’s a little painful right now, but it wasn’t a crazy surgery,» Allen said. «So not too long [of a recovery]. OTAs, I’ll be back and [it] shouldn’t hinder anything.»
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The impact of the Bills’ season coming to a close with an overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the playoffs, and the aftershocks that created — namely the firing of coach Sean McDermott — are still being felt by Allen. He said he found out about the firing via a phone call from owner Terry Pegula and then called McDermott immediately.
«I’ve got nothing but love and respect for coach McDermott,» Allen said. «The last eight seasons, eight years of my life, he’s been through ups and downs of me as a player, as a person, he’s seen me grow up in a sense. … We’ve had a lot of success here and I’d be lying to you if I’m sitting here saying that I feel like I didn’t have a part in it because if I make one more play that game in Denver, we’re probably not having this press conference right now. We’re probably not making a change and, in all honesty, we’re probably getting ready to play another game. And that’s the hard part to take in from my perspective, but that’s reality.»
Allen spoke to the media for the first time since the quarterback was visibly emotional following the loss in Denver. He said that he is still «sick» to his stomach about how the season ended but that as the days go by, he has become more in touch with reality.
In the teary news conference after the game, Allen noted it had been a long season.
On Thursday, he said he was referring to the impact of his injuries, the emotional toll of coming back late in games and the battle that resulted in the Bills not winning the division but still having a chance in the postseason.
«I still believe that we had the team to win the Super Bowl, and again, we didn’t make one more play, and that’s pointing the thumb right at me,» Allen said. «Everything moving forward is how do I clean my stuff up? How do I be the best quarterback, the best teammate, the best leader that I can be for the Buffalo Bills moving forward? What does that look like? It’s asking questions, it’s being uncomfortable with some of those answers, and then adapting and moving forward based on that.»
That process will come by working alongside Brady, someone Allen has worked with since 2022, first as his quarterbacks coach, then interim offensive coordinator before Brady took over that job full time in 2024.
Allen was involved in the interview process for the head coach candidates, and Brady said the quarterback asked some tough questions. Allen said that he took away lessons from the process, including different ways organizations can be structured, and that he felt a responsibility to be in the interviews for the rest of the locker room.
He said his key takeaways from the process are that the Bills are headed in the right direction and that he wants to be aligned with Brady regarding what he and others can do better and why they haven’t been able to get the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.
«As much success as we’ve had over the last eight to nine seasons, we still haven’t been able to get the main job done,» Allen said. «So again, what does that look like? Who’s involved in those decisions of what it looks like? But I truly believe in the direction of this organization, starting from the top. And I think that, again, whatever Joe needs from me I’m going to do. And I think that it’s the right decision for this organization.»
Although Allen’s remaining professional goal is to win a Super Bowl, he noted that the next few months will offer plenty of personal fulfillment with his wife, Hailee Steinfeld, pregnant with their first child.
«I’m very much looking forward to that with my wife of becoming a dad,» he said. «It’s something that I will take with great pride, and we’re going to have to figure things out on the go, just like anything else. But this is the most important thing I’ll ever be in my life is being a dad. And I know I love being a football player and I love being a quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, but I’m looking forward to this one.»
