Bills' Josh Allen Wants to Retire in Buffalo After Fans Honor Late Grandmother
November 11, 2020
After Buffalo Bills fans donated money to a local children's hospital in honor Josh Allen's grandmother, who died Saturday, the quarterback said he wants to remain with the team for as long as possible.
"My family is forever engraved here, myself included. I don't ever want to leave," Allen said, per ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques. "I want to play for as long as I can and give back to this community and Bills Mafia."
The team's first-round draft pick in 2018, Allen has been affiliated with Buffalo's Oishei Children's Hospital, with his sales of his hats and cereal benefitting the hospital. The latest fundraiser, which is linked back to a Reddit post, according to Buffalo's WKBW-TV, has garnered more than $300,000 in donations—mostly in $17 increments, a nod to Allen's jersey number.
The hospital added a $17 option to its donation page, with a message honoring Patricia Allen, and changed its usual options to end in 17. She lived in California, where Allen grew up.
The AFC Offensive Player of the Month for November, Allen is the league's third-leading passer in yards (2,587) and has thrown for 19 scores for the 7-2 Bills. Following the news about his grandmother, Allen elected to play on Sunday, when he earned a second Offensive Player of the Week nod by adding 415 passing yards (a career best) and four touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks, who also entered with a 6-1 record.
Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll noted Allen's emotionally charged performance and his connection to his Buffalo teammates, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk:
"When he came in off the field and into the locker room, he kind of fell into my arms a little bit. A lot of emotion there, particularly for him, but for me also. When you love somebody and something happens like that, it's tough. And to see it happen to somebody that you really care about as a player, that's tough. But that's why his teammates love him, too. All-day competitive. All-day tough. They'd do anything for him."