Sean McDermott: Josh Allen certainly proved himself and what he can do

[Billy Buffalo]

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Quarterback Josh Allen made clear strides in his third season, as Buffalo advanced to the AFC Championship Game.

Allen himself mentioned following Sunday’s loss that he proved the Bills didn’t make a mistake by drafting him. In his season-ending press conference on Tuesday, head coach Sean McDermott echoed that sentiment.

“I think he answered quite a few of the questions that were out there about him maybe from outside this building, specifically about his play. And I know that the comforting piece to me about Josh is he’s going to go back to work,” McDermott said. “He’s an extremely driven young man with a bright future and he’s done a great job leading our team this season in particular.”

In the regular season, Allen improved his completion rate from 58.8 percent in 2019 to 69.2 percent in 2020. He finished the year with 4,544 yards passing with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also had 421 yards rushing with eight TDs and a 12-yard touchdown catch.

“There’s not a lot of teams that can answer that question and say, ‘Yes we have our quarterback,'” McDermott said. “I can tell you — and you’ve watched it — Josh Allen is a very good quarterback and one we can win with for years to come. So not getting into contract situations and all that type of jazz, but really just talking about Josh’s development this season, [it] was a huge step in our growth as a team. It was a huge step in his growth as a player, on and off the field. And I bet you if you polled anyone inside this building in particular, we’d get probably a unanimous vote that Josh Allen certainly proved himself and what he can do. Does that mean he’s perfect? No. Does that mean he’s got work to do? Yes, just like all of us.”

Now that he’s completed his third season, Allen is eligible for a contract extension. McDermott said that situation “tends to handle itself” and that he trusts General Manager Brandon Beane to take care of it.

But it’s clear at this point that a new deal for Allen is not a matter of if, but when.