Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen takes a selfie with fans at the training camp in Pittsford, N.Y.

Josh Allen’s newfound wealth likely won’t change the type of person he is

Josh Allen loves that he’ll be working in Buffalo years to come

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is now one of the richest men in western New York after signing his landmark contract extension Friday, but one thing remains clear: He’s still a man of the people.

“(Money’s) not going to change Josh,” tight end Dawson Knox said. “You can pay him 150 bucks and he’s going to go out and ball out; you’re not going to be able to tell with him.”

Before practice began, Allen grabbed a football and did a complete lap around the field, throwing the ball to fans who then threw it back to him. It took probably 10 minutes to complete the journey, but every fan that played catch with the quarterback got the requisite thrill.

It was exactly the type of gesture that you wish more professional athletes would partake in, but it’s like it’s almost second nature to Allen. The Bills are paying him to be a star-level quarterback, but part of the money they’re giving him is based on the ambassador for Buffalo, the Bills, and the NFL that they know he is.

“I think (he) fits Buffalo, right?” coach Sean McDermott said. “We went through that vetting process (before the 2018 draft), the scouting process of making sure that we could check that box of the fit with Buffalo and the community. People say things about Buffalo, but they really don’t know. They don’t take the time to come find out. I think Josh is changing that and I think we’re changing that.”

Guard Jon Feliciano added, “Josh is such a good person, a dude who came from nothing, a little farmer, his mom, and dad are great people. Coming in, when he was a second-year dude (Feliciano joined the Bills in 2019), he was raw and feisty and just wanted to go at everyone’s neck. To see him and what he’s doing now, and to get paid as he should, I’m happy for him.”

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