Even After Four Years, Khalil Shakir Is Still Starstruck by Josh Allen: ‘He’s Unreal’

Khalil Shakir spoke to Sports Illustrated about teaming up with Josh Allen.

Khalil Shakir has been a reliable weapon for Josh Allen since joining the Bills. / Jamie Germano / USA TODAY NETWORK

Facing a fourth-and-4, already trailing by two scores and pressure bearing down on him on a snowy afternoon in Buffalo, Josh Allen managed to do what he seemingly always does. He rolled out to the right and bought just enough time to somehow thread the football between two Bengals defenders to his trusty wideout, Khalil Shakir. Touchdown.

Josh Allen. Khalil Shakir. OMG. 🤯#ProBowlVote + @JoshAllenQB#ProBowlVote + @king_khalil2

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/2uyyjDy8Nt

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 7, 2025

What would typically be a miracle play has simply become a routine moment for Allen. “There's no perfect word to explain how unreal this dude is. He's amazing,” Shakir told Sports Illustrated while speaking on behalf of Kelley Blue Book.

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As such, Allen’s receivers know it’s on them to be ready for when he flips on magician mode. “Our job as receivers and the tight ends is to scramble drill,” Shakir said. “It's just trying to make a play, get open for him, and we know that we have the best player in the league on our team, and he's going to make plays and make unreal throws. For us, it's showing that we're available for him.”

Allen’s improvisations might be the norm now that he’s in Year 8 of his career, but they still wow Shakir and the Bills. Cornerback Christian Benford compared his playmaking to Madden, Sean McDermott says he has the “it-factor,” and Shakir, well, he’s often left without the words to describe it all.

“The stuff that he does every single game—and it's multiple times a game—every game that you're like, ‘Oh, that might be his best play.’ And then the next play happens, you're like, ‘No, that might be it.’ Every time he touches the field, he just does stuff that your jaw drops and you're just sitting there, ‘how did, how did he do that?’” Shakir said.

Shakir didn’t team up with Allen until he had already established himself as a top quarterback in 2022, but quickly learned how good Allen was when he arrived in college in 2018—a time when Allen was largely viewed as a raw NFL rookie and potential bust. Playing at Boise State, a Mountain West rival of Allen’s alma mater Wyoming, Shakir recalled his defensive teammates always saying, “‘Thank God that quarterback is gone.’ And of course, they're talking about Josh.”

Four years later, Shakir would join Allen after the Bills selected him in the fifth round. Similarly to Allen, the former fifth-round felt Buffalo was a good fit during the pre-draft process, and that’s proven true over his first four seasons in Western New York.

“When I got the call that I was coming to Buffalo man, I was just excited, it's seeing him and the plays that he was already making, and having the opportunity to be a part of that,” Shakir said. “It's just a blessing in itself.”

“You hear all the stories about it, but getting to be there in real time and see him do it in person is a whole another level.”

Looking ahead, Shakir will try to help Allen pull off more magic as they prepare for their final regular season games and make a playoff push. The Bills have been a postseason regular, but will look to breakthrough and bring the first Lombardi Trophy back to Buffalo this winter.

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