Josh Allen Praised by Bills’ Shakir: ‘One of the Best Leaders I’ve Ever Been Around’

As quarterback Josh Allen enters the 2024 NFL season in hopes of main the Buffalo Bills to their first Mammoth Bowl salvage, he has the complete give a boost to of his teammates, including broad receiver Khalil Shakir.

Shakir told ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg on Saturday that Allen is “potentially one in every of essentially top-of-the-line leaders I’ve ever been around steady due to the the proven truth that [if] Josh changed into esteem, ‘Hi there, snatch your protect and your sword and let’s traipse to war,’ I’m no questions. I’m gonna snatch it and traipse.”

Allen, 28, is coming into his seventh NFL season, and he takes a survey to add Mammoth Bowl champion to an already spectacular list of accolades.

The 2-time Pro Bowler has led he Bills to 5 consecutive playoff appearances and four straight AFC East titles, marking the first time Buffalo has accomplished these feats since the gradual Eighties into the early Nineties.

Allen is the first player in NFL historical previous to have accounted for 40 or more entire touchdowns in four consecutive seasons, and he has an alternative choice to create it 5 in 2024.

Doing so would possibly perchance perchance well seemingly no longer be easy, though, since Allen’s community of traipse-catchers changed into overhauled in a necessary capability staunch thru the offseason.

Apart from to shedding wideout Gabe Davis in free agency, Buffalo surprisingly traded No. 1 receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans after he struggled mightily staunch thru the 2d half of 2023.

Shakir is the greatest broad receiver on the active roster getting back from final year’s personnel, and he is joined by rookie 2d-round choose Keon Coleman and free-agent signings Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mack Hollins.

Then again, there would possibly perchance be about a continuity at other spots with four of the 5 same initiating offensive linemen from final season, along with to working abet James Cook and tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox.

Knox is one in every of Allen’s longest-working teammates, having performed alongside him since 2019, and he expressed to Getzenberg that JA17 is as locked in as ever, announcing: “He’s stuck his head within the tight pause room a couple cases, ‘What pause y’all peer right here?’ … and then moreover, he is getting masses of additional work into practice too. Looks esteem he is correct dialed in as soon as he steps available to the 2d he comes off after every person else has left.”

Getting to the playoffs hasn’t been a difficulty for Allen, but going on a deep trudge has, mostly due to the the presence of the Kansas City Chiefs, who have eradicated the Bills from the postseason three cases within the previous four years.

Outsiders are liable to place blame on the quarterback for these shortcomings, but Allen has been one in every of essentially top-of-the-line quarterbacks in playoff historical previous statistically finishing up 64.6 percent of his passes for 2,723 yards, 21 touchdowns and four interceptions, and rushing for 563 yards and 5 rankings in 10 video games.

Arguably no quarterback has more on their plate than Allen, but he’ll need encourage from his supporting forged on each and each offense and protection to in the end recover from the fling attain playoff time.

The Bills’ quest for a fifth consecutive AFC East title and sixth straight playoff berth will originate up Sept. 8 after they host the Arizona Cardinals in their in vogue-season opener.