Former NFL QB places Buffalo Bills 'Unicorn' Josh Allen in elite category

Unsurprisingly, Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen finished as a Top 3 quarterback in former player's annual rankings.

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) greets Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) following the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen has been as good as can be without having won Super Bowl.

Allen, a three-time NFL MVP finalist, has doubled as a touchdown machine over his first six professional seasons. In fact, no player in league history, not even Hall-of-Fame legend Dan Marino, has totaled more touchdowns than Allen over the first six seasons of a career.

When it comes to the perceived current hierarchy amongst active NFL quarterbacks, the 28-year-old Allen finds himself second only to Kansas City Chiefs' three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes.

Now an analyst for NBC Sports, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms fully unveiled his annual Top 40 QB Countdown and Allen was No. 2 overall with Mahomes topping the chart in a class of his own.

With Mahomes alone in the "legendary" category, Allen and Cincinnati Bengals' starter Joe Burrow ranked second and third, respectively, while comprising the elite "unicorn" category.

The next tier featured reigning MVP Lamar Jackson at No. 4 overall followed by decorated veteran Matthew Stafford and Los Angeles Chargers' franchise field general Justin Herbert.

While Mahomes is the reigning Super Bowl MVP, Allen produced a better statistical campaign than his Chiefs' counterpart. In 2023, Allen recorded higher season totals than Mahomes in pass yards, rush yards, touchdown passes and rushing touchdowns. Allen's 15 TD rushes are an NFL single-season record and are one shy of the Bills' franchise record held by Hall-of-Fame running back OJ Simpson.

Top 6 QBs as we head into the season pic.twitter.com/j4msGvESHo

— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) June 10, 2024

Allen has thrown for no fewer than 4,283 yards or 29 touchdown passes in any of his four most-recent seasons. The fantasy football darling has accounted for 40+ total touchdowns four years in a row.

Allen, the No. 7 overall selection in 2018, has quarterbacked the Bills to five consecutive double-digit win seasons. Buffalo has defeated the Chiefs in the last three regular season meetings, but Mahomes and Co. have directly eliminated the Bills from the playoffs three of the last four years.

Simms has recognized Allen's superstar ability on multiple occasions.

"When you have a quarterback of that talent, right, with Josh Allen, where I don't say this lightly, it is arguably the most talented quarterback in the history of football, the [championship] window is never really closed," said Simms in an interview at the NFL Combine.