Patrick Mahomes is no longer the best quarterback in the NFL, according to a new ESPN survey of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts. According to the annual poll, that distinction now belongs to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
“Allen has long pushed to supplant Mahomes, but he had to fight for every vote to finally make that happen,” ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler explained. “Allen took advantage of the composite voting, averaging a ranking of 2.10 per ballot. That helped him overcome his 34.1% first-place clip, slightly below Mahomes’ 41.5%.”
Fowler added that one NFL general manager “perfectly summed up why Allen — the only player in NFL history with at least 200 passing touchdowns and 50 rushing touchdowns — belongs at the top.”
Mahomes, who ranked first a year ago, fell to second. Matthew Stafford, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson rounded out the top five.
Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills greets Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs after the Bills defeated the Chiefs 30-21 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Nov. 17, 2024. (Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
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Given Allen’s polarizing status among much of the mainstream sports media — he is often cast as the Big Bad White Quarterback — his leap over Mahomes will undoubtedly draw the ire of some critics. They’ll point out that Allen has never beaten Mahomes in the playoffs and owns three fewer Super Bowl titles and five fewer Super Bowl appearances.
Those are fair points. Mahomes’ legacy is unquestionably superior. He is already arguably one of the five greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Allen, meanwhile, probably belongs somewhere in the late teens or early 20s.
But legacy isn’t the question.
The exercise asked who the best quarterback is right now. And by that standard, the case for Allen is compelling. In fact, one could argue he has been the NFL’s best quarterback for roughly the past three seasons.
Here’s how Allen and Mahomes have compared from 2023 through 2025:
Josh Allen
- 11,705 passing yards
- 82 passing touchdowns
- 34 interceptions
- 98.6 passer rating
Patrick Mahomes
- 11,698 passing yards
- 75 passing touchdowns
- 36 interceptions
- 91.9 passer rating
Allen has been slightly more productive and slightly more efficient as a passer. The margin is narrow, but it exists.
Then there’s the rushing element, where the gap becomes significant.
Josh Allen No. 17 of the Buffalo Bills takes the field against the Cincinnati Bengals during an NFL game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Dec. 7, 2025. (Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
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Over the past three seasons, Allen has rushed for 41 touchdowns. Mahomes has rushed for seven. That gives Allen 123 total touchdowns over that span, compared to 82 for Mahomes.
Shades of early Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning. Like Brady, Mahomes has the Super Bowl rings and legendary postseason comebacks. Like Manning, Allen has been the better player on a week-to-week basis.
Rank them as you wish.
Defenders of Mahomes may, however, point to the talent around each quarterback. While both quarterbacks have been forced to make do with mediocre receiving corps in recent years, Allen has enjoyed significant advantages in the running game and along the offensive line.
For reference, Sharp Football Analysis ranked the Bills’ offensive line third in the NFL entering the 2026 season. Kansas City’s line ranked 23rd.
Bills running back James Cook led the league in rushing last season with more than 1,600 yards. Kareem Hunt led the Chiefs with just 611 rushing yards and a putrid 3.7 yards per carry.
Of course, one could just as easily argue the opposite. Mahomes has the luxury of playing for Andy Reid, one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history, and Brett Veach, one of the league’s premier general managers.
The fact that all of these arguments are relevant shows just how close Allen and Mahomes are as players.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs is tackled by Josh Allen of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Jason Hanna/Getty Images (Jason Hanna/Getty Images)
It is, however, amusing to compare how anonymous executives, coaches, and scouts talk about Josh Allen with how much of the sports media discusses him.
Turn on almost any sports talk show and you’ll hear arguments that Allen is overrated, protected, privileged, or somehow less of a quarterback than Lamar Jackson.
The list of analysts who have spent years belittling Allen is extensive. It includes Ryan Clark, Cam Newton, Cam Jordan, Robert Griffin III, and Marcus Spears. This group has badly wanted to turn the Josh Allen discussion into a culture war issue, making it about race.
Despite Allen’s far superior postseason résumé compared to Jackson’s, these analysts still insist he must surpass Jackson before he can even sniff Mahomes’ status.
But the people actually paid to evaluate football tell a much different story. The people who don’t have to make television arguments or feed the outrage machine believe Allen belongs firmly in the same discussion as Mahomes and, entering the 2026 season, is the slightly better quarterback.
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We concur.
Right now, Josh Allen is the best quarterback in the NFL. That doesn’t mean Mahomes, coming off a torn ACL, won’t make us regret saying so.
