Who are the Top 5 Buffalo Bills quarterbacks of all time? From Josh to Jim, Steve Cook has your definitive list!

The Buffalo Bills were a big part of my early years watching the NFL. They dominated the AFC during the first part of the 1990s, advancing to four consecutive Super Bowls. Buffalo doesn’t like to talk about what happened at these Super Bowls, so we won’t dwell on them.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been too much of value to talk about since the early 1990s. Some playoff appearances here & there, but the Bills have never reached the heights they were at during my first memories of them. However, that might be changing. The Bills returned to the AFC Championship Game this past season and have a number of good young players that could be the building blocks for something more.

Frankly, I’d like to see them get over the hump. Good people in Buffalo. Let’s take a look at the five greatest quarterbacks to lead the Bills!

5. Josh Allen

Recency bias might be in full effect here, but the fact of the matter is that Allen has exceeded all expectations during his first three seasons with the Bills. He struggled through his rookie season, but showed marked improvement during Year 2 & broke out in Year 3. Kind of like what people expected Kyle Boller to do but this time it actually happened.

Allen was selected to the Pro Bowl & finished second in MVP voting while leading the Bills to their first AFC Championship Game appearance since 1993. Bills fans are hoping this progression continues.

4. Doug Flutie

Flutie was a tremendously popular college football player that faced skepticism moving to the pros due to his lack of size. The listed 5’10 180 pounder went to the USFL for his first season, then spent four seasons in the NFL before making the move to the Canadian Football League. After becoming one of the greatest CFL players of all time, Flutie came back to the NFL in 1998 at the age of 36. Flutie got the chance to start when starter Rob Johnson was injured, and he led the Bills to a 7-3 record & a trip to the postseason. 20 touchdowns, 11 interceptions & 2711 passing yards in only 10 games as the starter. He was named Comeback Player of the Year and was selected to his first Pro Bowl.

The Bills returned to the playoffs the next season with Flutie at the helm. Flutie’s numbers were down from 1998, but it was still a questionable decision when Johnson was elected as the starter for the team’s playoff game. Johnson completed ten passes and was sacked six times in the Bills’ loss, which was good enough to get him the starting job for the 2000 season. As it turned out, Johnson got injured that season, and Flutie went 4-1 in comparison to Johnson’s 4-7. Again, the Bills opted for Johnson & Flutie was cut after the season. Flutie’s age & size were more important than his actual performance to Bills management at the time. A shame.

3. Jack Kemp

When you look at Kemp’s numbers, they don’t seem all that impressive. He played just over six seasons with Buffalo, and threw more interceptions than touchdowns in every single one. 77 touchdowns to 132 interceptions. His quarterback rating of 55.8 is well below everybody else that’s anywhere near the conversation of “Best Bills Quarterbacks”. He never led the AFL in yards or touchdowns.

So why’s he so high on this list? He led the Bills to two AFL Championships, was selected to five Pro Bowls while with the team, and was voted the AFL MVP in 1965. He wound up being the lifetime leader of the AFL in passing yards, completions and other assorted statistics. He played in five out of ten AFL Championship Games, and was the only quarterback to be a starter for a team for all ten AFL seasons. Kemp was Mr. AFL in a lot of ways, so even if you look at his stats and get confused, he was still one of the best of his era.

2. Joe Ferguson

Ferguson was selected in the third round of the 1973 NFL Draft, and became a consistent presence in the pocket for the Bills for the next twelve seasons. In fact, he & the Philadelphia Eagles’ Ron Jaworski were on a simultaneous consecutive regular season start streak that started on September 18, 1977 and became the record at the time. Jaws’ streak lasted two months after Ferguson was benched for the immortal Joe Dufek in September 1984.

Ferguson was never selected to any Pro Bowls, but he did lead the NFL in touchdown passes in 1975, passing yards in 1997, & game-winning drives in 1980. He left the Bills after the 1984 season, but Buffalo only had to sit through one season of Vince Ferragamo before meeting their GOAT QB.

Honorable Mention: Ryan Fitzpatrick

Who doesn’t love Fitzmagic? Ryan’s started games for eight different teams during his career, but his longest tenure with one team was with the Bills from 2009-12. He was QB1 for three of those seasons, and rates very highly in Bills all-time passing categories. Fourth in passing yards, third in touchdowns. He misses the cut for the simple reason that his teams weren’t very good. A 20-33 QB record doesn’t make it here.

Honorable Mention: Drew Bledsoe

We all know how Bledsoe’s time in New England came to an end. He got injured, a little-known seventh round pick named Tom Brady got the job, and the rest was history. New England traded Bledsoe to the Bills for their 2003 first round draft pick, which in case you’re wondering, ended up being traded to the Bears, who took a defensive end named Michael Haynes who started four games in three seasons. Bledsoe was a bit better for the Bills, starting forty-eight games in three seasons & getting voted to the Pro Bowl in 2002.

1. Jim Kelly

Jim Kelly did not want to play in Buffalo. He grew up in Northern Pennsylvania, but after playing four seasons for the University of Miami, realized that playing in cold weather was for suckers. When drafted by the Bills, Kelly opted to go play in the rival USFL, who offered to let him play for any team. Kelly chose the Houston Gamblers, and when asked about it had the famous quote “Would you rather be in Houston or Buffalo?”.

Fanbases have turned against players forever for less, and it was a little awkward when Kelly showed up in Buffalo after the USFL folded. Three things happened that turned what could have been a disaster into a perfect marriage.

– Marv Levy was hired as head coach, installing a no-huddle offense that fit Kelly to a tee.
– The Bills surrounded Kelly with outstanding talent like Andre Reed, Thurman Thomas & Bruce Smith that helped him lead the franchise to four consecutive AFC Championships.
– Kelly wound up enjoying the people & city of Buffalo, and still lives in the area.

The relationship between Kelly & Buffalo is tough to match. He holds every relevant Bills passing record by a wide margin, and it wasn’t until the recent emergence of Josh Allen that it even looked like a Bills quarterback could come close to filling Jim Kelly’s shoes. Far too soon to say with Allen, but it’s a lofty goal for a young man to have, and I’m sure that Kelly will be rooting for him & the Bills to reach the top of the heap.

Thanks for reading! Join us next time when we take a look at the best Carolina Panthers quarterbacks!

• Cook’s Top 5: Arizona Cardinals Quarterbacks
• Cook’s Top 5: Atlanta Falcons Quarterbacks
• Cook’s Top 5: Baltimore Ravens Quarterbacks
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