Alaina Getzenberg, ESPN September 25, 2024 5:08 PM ET
CloseAlaina Agetzenberg is a staff writer covering the Buffalo Bills and the NFL. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina was previously an assignment reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has also worked for CBS Sports and the Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. You can follow her on Twitter at @agetzenberg.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen clarified Wednesday that his recent positive comments about his current teammates were in no way intended to criticize or be directed at his former teammates.
Some of Allen's comments during his post-game press conference following the team's 47-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3 were interpreted by some online and on sports talk shows as a reference to former Bills players, specifically current Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Allen's clarification came in response to a question about how encouraging it is to see the team adopt an “everyone wins” philosophy on offense this year, which emphasizes that anyone can get involved in the attack at any time and that players focus on every route as if they're the one being targeted.
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“I know there's a lot of people talking here and there and, again, I'm not trying to put anybody down,” Allen said Wednesday. “I've loved everybody I've ever played with and you don't have to put other people down to elevate each other and we're elevating each other right now and that's all we're trying to do and try to come together as a team. We really care about each other and everybody in this building has that feeling.”
When asked what he was talking about, Allen said, “You know what I mean. Former player or not…”
He was then asked if that was a reference to Diggs: “Yeah, again, I love 14. I still do. But we all want to keep this important. We're focused on what's going on in the building and that's the only thing we care about right now.”
Allen's first comment that generated interest was in response to a question about what the fact that six Bills players caught touchdowns against the Jaguars says about the strength of the Bills' offense.
“What's great about this team is that our guys have bought into this mindset and really understood that you're not going to be able to throw the ball four or five times in a game, but if you can throw it once or twice you have a chance to get in the end zone,” Allen said Monday night. “It's fun and it's great to have a bunch of guys who don't care about stats or touchdowns.”
Diggs was traded from the Bills to the Texans in April along with a 2024 sixth-round pick (189th overall) and a 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick (via the Minnesota Vikings).
Diggs, a three-time Bills captain, led the team in targets and receiving yards during his four seasons with the team. Entering 2024, Diggs has accounted for 21% of Allen's career targets, 11 percentage points higher than the next most-targeted player (Cole Beasley, 10%).
Ten different players caught a pass in the team's win over the Jaguars, giving Allen three straight games of statistically best years of his career.
The Bills, now 3-0, face off against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC) in what will be the next phase of a matchup between 2018 first-round draft picks Allen and Lamar Jackson.
“[Jackson has] “I think he really changed the way guys play, there's no doubt about that. He can throw the football at a ton of speed,” Allen said. “I have a lot of respect and love for him. I love watching him play, because with him, no play is ever over. He has an incredible ability to make plays come alive and get past guys and get the ball downfield, so he's a special player.”
