Josh Allen’s 2024 MVP season was pure fireworks. 3,731 passing yards, 28TDs, plus another 531 rushing yards and 12 scores on the ground. The Bills’ star QB outdueled even Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts in total touchdowns, cementing himself as the NFL’s most unstoppable force. But ask Allen, and he’ll shrug it off. “I still didn’t win a Super Bowl,” he told Sports Illustrated. Fresh off marrying Hailee Steinfeld and gearing up for training camp, Allen’s laser focus hasn’t wavered. Yet on June 26, he quietly added another career milestone—one that puts him in rarified air, even above QBs with rings.

With the ESPYs looming? Let’s just say his trophy case might get crowded. Josh Allen’s 2024 MVP win already had fans buzzing, especially after beating out Lamar Jackson in a controversial vote. Now, the Bills’ QB is chasing even bigger glory. On Thursday, Allen landed two ESPY nominations: Best Athlete – Men’s Sports and Best NFL Player, putting him head-to-head with Saquon Barkley, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Shohei Ohtani. If he wins both? That’s a triple award haul—MVP, Best Athlete, and Best NFL Player.

The ESPY competition puts Josh Allen right back in the ring with familiar rivals. Barkley landed three nominations (including Best Play), while Lamar Jackson – the same QB Allen beat out for MVP – is nominated alongside him for Best NFL Player. That MVP decision still has fans talking, especially after ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky broke down why he voted for Allen.

Right after the awards were announced, Orlovsky explained on Get Up: “The Bills were the No. 2 seed. Josh had a 40-touchdown, 8-turnover, 14-sack season… He brought tremendous value to their football team.” He gave Jackson his credit too – “Lamar’s season was sensational” – but stood firm: “Value, and how much you impact your team… that’s where Josh Allen had the upper hand.” Now, with these ESPY nominations, Allen gets another chance to prove his case against the league’s best.

Even as the accolades pile up, Allen’s mindset reveals something telling. There’s one achievement that still eats at him—one he values more than any individual honor. And when you hear how he brushed off his MVP win, you’ll understand why these ESPY nominations might feel bittersweet. But again…..

Josh Allen has some unfinished business!

Josh Allen’s 2024 MVP trophy gleams on the shelf – Buffalo’s first in 37 years (after Thurman Thomas’ in 1991), a testament to his rocket arm and bulldozer legs that have rewritten the quarterback playbook. Five straight seasons of 40+TDs. A Bills‘ offense that’s averaged around 30 points per game since 2020. Numbers that would make most quarterbacks strut. Yet when Sports Illustrated sat down with Allen during his Natrol endorsement campaign, the 28-year-old dismissed the hardware like yesterday’s game plan, “I still didn’t win a Super Bowl. Didn’t win a ring, and that is the only goal.”

The sting comes from knowing how close they’ve been. That January’s AFC Championship loss to Kansas City marked Buffalo’s second conference title game heartbreak under Allen. Both ended with Patrick Mahomes sprinting toward confetti while the Bills trudged to the tunnel. Both were decided by a measly field goal. 

What makes Allen‘s obsession fascinating is how it contrasts with his on-field persona. This is the same QB who hurdles LBs and mic-drops fourth-down dimes, yet his postgame pressers after playoff losses reveal a man counting moral victories like empty calories. “The one positive about winning an MVP is that your team is in a good position,” he told SI, before adding the caveat that hangs over Orchard Park, “You’re doing whatever you can to help your team win football games.”

That’s why these ESPY nominations – while deserved – feel like consolation prizes to a competitor like Allen. You can see it in how he’s retooled his offseason routine, cutting back on celebrity appearances to grind with QB coach Jordan Palmer. The chip on his shoulder has become the engine that drives him.

As training camp looms, Josh Allen’s legacy stands at a crossroads. He’s already the greatest Bills QB since Jim Kelly. He’s changed how franchises evaluate QB prospects. But in his mind? None of it matters until he ends that Super Bowl drought. The fire burns hotter than ever. And Buffalo wouldn’t want it any other way.