The Buffalo Bills have one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks. They also had a top-tier backup quarterback last season. With salary cap space at a premium, it’s unlikely that the Bills can truly afford to maintain their pattern of keeping a solid veteran behind Allen.
In truth, Allen is entering the stage of his career where he is the solid veteran. With that in mind, it may be time for the Bills to change course and start adding younger backups to their stable of quarterbacks.
In our final edition of
the state of the Bills roster in 2026, we discuss the quarterbacks. _____________________________________________________________________________
Josh Allen
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; second year of six-year, $330 million contract extension ($56.388 million cap hit; $173.469 million dead-cap number)
Age: 29 (30 on 5/21/2026)
Playing Time: 17 games (17 starts), 1,034 offensive snaps (91.34% of team total)
Key Statistics: 319/460 (69.3%), 3,668 yards, 25 TD, 10 INT, 102.2 quarterback rating, 64.7 QBR, 112 carries, 579 rushing yards, 14 rushing TD, 7 fumbles
Allen followed up his 2024 MVP season with another season as an MVP finalist, and while he rightly didn’t win the award this past season, there’s an argument to be made that he did more with less than most other quarterbacks in the league. Allen’s pass-catcher group was among the NFL’s worst, and yet he still completed a career-high 69.3% of his passes.
In the playoffs, Allen followed up the first road playoff win of his career, and the first game-winning drive of his playoff career, with one of the worst playoff performances of his career. His four-turnover performance in the Divisional Round was a major factor in Buffalo’s season-ending 33-30 loss to the Denver Broncos.
That playoff performance might have been influenced by a broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot. After watching Allen miss on throws short that he never would normally miss, it makes sense that his foot injury was worse than he initially let on. With a full offseason to recover, Allen should be less concerned with how his foot heals and more concerned with finding pockets of sleep as he prepares for dad life.
The 2026 season is a real turning point for Allen, who will be 30 years old when the first game begins in September. There’s no doubt that he’s one of the best players in the NFL, and he might even be the best player in the league based on sheer ability.
Can Allen continue to grow in head coach Joe Brady’s offense this season? What will that offense look like? Will Allen gel with DJ Moore, a wideout who can finally win some one-on-one matchups against man coverage? Will Allen’s penchant for playing “hero ball” at inopportune moments continue?
At times, it almost looked as if Allen willed the Bills to victory last season. Other times, everyone on the sideline — Allen included — appeared to be too lax, too calm, too nonchalant. How can Allen find that happy medium between “sugar-high Josh” and “Zen Josh” moving forward? Will a change of head coaches allow Allen to take the next step towards football immortality?
Mitchell Trubisky
Contract Status for 2026: Signed two-year contract with the Tennessee Titans
Age: 31 (32 on 8/20/2026)
Playing Time: 4 games, 98 offensive snaps (8.66% of team total)
Key Statistics: 25/35 (71.4%), 313 yards, 4 TD, 137 quarterback rating, 91.5 QBR, 9 carries, 6 rushing yards
The original NVP played quite well in extended action during Buffalo’s Week 18 drubbing of an atrocious New York Jets team, but his main job description was to be a sounding board for the 2024 NFL MVP in the QB room.
Trubisky is a quality backup quarterback, and it isn’t surprising that he reunited with his former offensive coordinator in Buffalo, Brian Daboll, now with the Titans for a chance to mentor second-year quarterback Cam Ward.
Kyle Allen
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; first year of two-year deal ($1.9 million cap hit; $1.8 million dead-cap number if released)
Age: 30 (31 on 3/8/2027)
Playing Time: 3 games with the Detroit Lions
Key Statistics: 0/2, 3 carries, -3 yards
Kyle Allen reunites with his friend Josh Allen on a deal that sounded rich upon first report, but when we look deep into the numbers, it’s not as bad as it initially sounded. Kyle Allen can take the $4.1 million contract and earn $2 million in incentives tied to playing time, which is something that, let’s be honest, nobody wants — likely not even Allen himself.
While the Bills are essentially locked into Allen as the backup this season, they can release him after the season for just a dead-cap charge of $150,000 if they so choose. This isn’t my favorite move, as I think Buffalo could have spent those $1.9 million in cap dollars elsewhere, but I understand it more now that I’ve seen the details.
Shane Buechele
Contract Status for 2026: Signed one-year deal
Age: 28 (29 on 1/8/2027)
Playing Time w/Buffalo: NA
Key Statistics: NA
Buechele spent most of last season on Buffalo’s practice squad, but after Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in December, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Buechele to their 53-man roster as insurance. He made his NFL debut this past season with the Chiefs, completing 7-of-14 passes for 55 yards.
Kansas City released him, Buffalo re-signed him to their practice squad, and after initially passing on giving him a reserve/future deal, he re-signed with Buffalo on February 10. Buechele will have a chance at being Josh Allen’s backup next year, but it’s more likely that he’s fighting for a practice squad spot once again.
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Final Thoughts
Buffalo’s starting quarterback is set. The Bills clearly like the idea of having a known quantity as the backup quarterback, as they swapped out on veteran in Trubisky for another in Kyle Allen. Buffalo would likely be S.O.L. without No. 17 for a long stretch of time, which makes the backup quarterback spot far less important in my eyes, but that’s not the philosophy of the team.
Buechele is not an NFL passer, but he’s a great locker room guy and a good scout team player. Buffalo probably shouldn’t go into a season with him as the backup quarterback, and signing Kyle Allen allows them to avoid a scenario where that might have happened.
I agree with the decision not to re-sign Trubisky, as the cost of doing so just isn’t something the team should stomach right now. Drafting a young quarterback in the sixth round wouldn’t be a bad idea even with the Kyle Allen signing, as they could add a developmental player on a cheap contract who can learn from one of the NFL’s best in Josh Allen. North Dakota State’s Cole Payton could be a solid add, as could Georgia Tech’s Haynes King. Neither player is a likely starter in the league, but they’re both excellent athletes with solid traits who could win with their legs in a pinch. Another player who could be available for a Day-Three flier is Penn State’s Drew Allar.
Buffalo should really start doing what the Green Bay Packers used to do when they had Brett Favre at quarterback. They brought in guys like Mark Brunell, Aaron Brooks, and Matt Hasslebeck—as well as some guy named Aaron Rodgers—at various times in Favre’s career. Not until they drafted Rodgers in 2005 were any of those players expected to overtake Favre, but they were able to develop in a quarterback-friendly offense before the Packers flipped them for draft picks. Snagging a solid developmental backup isn’t a terrible idea, and it wouldn’t upset me at all for them to find a player who could turn into a cheaper option as the primary backup in 2027 and beyond.
