QB Comparisons to Josh, QB's from the Past and or the Present ?

[Goin Breakdown]

Don't laugh. Uncle Rico. 

[BillytheKid]

I don’t think there is a real comparison like MJS said but like some others have said if you have to compare him to someone, I would say he is somewhat like Elway.

 

Elway was a bigger QB that was mobile and would run into people soemtimes and not be scared to take a hit, had a strong arm. I remember that one play I believe was in the Super Bowl where he dove for the end zone and got helicoptered in the air. Was exactly something I could see Josh doing and have already seen him do those things. 
 

So that is probably my closest comparison to good QB’s I can think of like others have said. But again, also, there is no comparison. 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

He is as close to a unicorn as there ever has been.

 

Thise that come close are

 

Elway

Newton

Roethlisberger (younger version)

Young

 

Favre never ran like Josh can. Staubach and Tarkenton never threw it like Josh.

[rusty shackleford]

Josh Allen. There is no substitute.

 

 

[Chandler#81]

21 hours ago, The Frankish Reich said:

Someone asks this question once or twice a year, and once or twice a year I feel compelled to bring up two largely forgotten proto-Allens. This first one peaked before my time, the second one right when I started loving the NFL.

 

 

 

 

Neither one won a Super Bowl. Let's hope Josh breaks that mold.

Good comps. I didn’t see Slingin’ Sammy Baugh though I’ve seen damn near all the great QBs play. But, as MJS said, the game has never seen the likes of Josh Allen. 🤷‍♂️

[BuffaloBillyG]

22 hours ago, Neo said:

It’s Elway.   There is no other answer.  Other answers in the same certainty category include Ingrid Bergman, chocolate and peanut butter, The Talking Heads, The Birth of Venus, Bach’s Cello Suite #1 in G Major, Prélude and  Michael Jordan.

Elway was my comp up above. But one other guy I think was close, Steve McNair. Watch some footage of him from Alcorn St. Some plays the similarities are almost uncanny.

[ganesh]

On 8/10/2025 at 1:44 AM, MiltonWaddams said:

This is, in every way, the correct take. The other thing is that they both have a never quit mentality. It can cause them issues, as they both saw early in their career, but it endears them to teammates, and everyone loves playing with a guy who would run through a brick wall for you.

And both had teams that couldn’t get over the hump in their first decade as a NFL player 

[Don Otreply]

22 hours ago, The Frankish Reich said:

Someone asks this question once or twice a year, and once or twice a year I feel compelled to bring up two largely forgotten proto-Allens. This first one peaked before my time, the second one right when I started loving the NFL.

 

 

 

 

Neither one won a Super Bowl. Let's hope Josh breaks that mold.

I was just a kid back then, Gabriel was one of my favs,

[Big Turk]

On 8/9/2025 at 4:02 PM, BuffaloBillyG said:

John Elway has always been my closest comparison.

 

Strong armed. Mobile. Sometimes a bit unorthodox. 

 

Mine as well...except Allen is a bigger, faster Elway with a stronger arm.

[Gregg]

Josh has a gunslinger's mentality. He is a more athletic version of Elway and Favre. IMHO. 

[bills6969]

A more athletic Big Ben

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Allen is a better player, but i always liked the steve mcnair comparison.  

[Captain Hindsight]

On 8/9/2025 at 4:16 PM, BuffaloBillyG said:

Yup. Tough, gritty, never say die. 

 

Still SHOCKS me that Elway passed on him and took a LB in the draft. Biggest mistake of Elways career IMO.

When you sign Case Keenum, you just have to go all in on defense

[RoscoeParrish]

27 minutes ago, Captain Hindsight said:

When you sign Case Keenum, you just have to go all in on defense

Elway was in danger of losing his job if he took another raw physical specimen at QB and failed. 
 

The unfortunate reality of the nfl is that a lot of decisions are not made for football reasons.

[Shaw66]

Elway, for sure.

 

Toughness, running ability, arm strength, accuracy, and a gamer.  

 

Favre was a loose cannon. Allen already has gotten his game more under control.

 

Allen will be like Ben later in his career, when Allen stops running.  

 

Newton isn't on the same planet.  Bert Jones? Really?  

 

Allen's a top 10 all-time QB and he hasn't peaked.  There are not 10 QBs I would take ahead of him if I were building a team. 

 

Allen has it all, and there aren't many like him.  

 

 

[LABILLBACKER]

On 8/9/2025 at 1:39 PM, Low Positive said:

There is some Brett Farve in there too, at least in play-style.

Yup, some of the reckless abandon of Favre and the physicality of Elway / Newton.  Big Ben never had a fraction of the mobility Josh has.

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

On 8/9/2025 at 4:19 PM, gobills404 said:

Cam Newton’s MVP season is the closest thing I’ve seen to Josh.

This. It’s like getting an MVP Cam year in and year out.

 

I don’t like the Elway or Rodger’s comparisons because although pretty good runners, Josh is a GREAT runner. He will definitely retire with most rushing TDs for a QB and only behind Lamar for most yards. 

 

 

[julian]

No player has had the combination of physical attributes that Allen has other than Cam, but Cam wasn’t the passer Allen is.

 

Cam/Big Ben/Favre/Elway

[wppete]

John Elway and Cam Newton. 

[The Jokeman]

38 minutes ago, wppete said:

John Elway and Cam Newton. 

These seem to be the most reasonable from a physical point of view, I also see a lot of Tom Brady in his leadership/competitiveness though which makes him better than Cam every was. I've always compared to Josh to Elway first as felt both were QBs that can run vs running QBs. Newton could fall in both categories but think more the latter with the way he took hits etc.