Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly has grown through a lot of hardships throughout his career, like his four Super Bowl losses, four ‘incurable’ cancer battles, and a plethora of personal tragedies. But earlier this month, Kelly issued a life-changing update as he declared he was cancer-free. After this positive update, the Bills icon continues to give back to his fans in Buffalo with his latest announcement from his foundation.

As part of his Hunter’s Hope Foundation, Jim Kelly shared a photo of a special “Passing the Torch” football, which has his and current Buffalo Bills QB1 Josh Allen’s signatures, and announced how Buffalonians can win this coveted piece of sporting memorabilia.

“We decided that we would give people more time to participate and possibly win the PASSING THE TORCH football!!,” Jim Kelly shared through his Instagram stories.

This special “Passing the Torch” football will be a perfect collectible for any diehard Buffalo Bills fan, as it symbolizes the transition from Kelly, who put the franchise on his back and took them to four Super Bowl appearances, to Josh Allen, the current leader of the franchise.

Coming back to Jim Kelly’s battle against cancer, the Bills legend was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a type of cancer of the upper jawbone, at the age of 53. The same cancer returned a year later, and Kelly went through weeks of chemo and radiation, after which he was cancer-free in late 2014.

However, four years later, he had a Stage IV diagnosis of the same cancer with less than a 10 percent chance of survival. Kelly again went through a rigorous medical procedure, such as an extensive jaw reconstruction, where the squamous cell carcinoma had spread.

A skin cancer diagnosis followed this challenging phase in 2021, for which he underwent two surgeries to remove lesions from his nostril and chin. However, in 2025, Kelly finally came out as a fighter after the doctors declared him fully cured with a clear MRI.

“Yeah, I feel pretty good,” Kelly said during his appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. “About two months ago, I went for hopefully my last visit, having to go to New York City and do an MRI. They gave me a clean slate.”

As Jim Kelly emerges victorious in the most important battle of his life, he hopes to inspire the Buffalo Bills and has placed his trust in QB1 Josh Allen to help the franchise finally win the coveted Lombardi Trophy this coming February.

Kelly trusts Josh Allen as the Bills push for the Super Bowl

The Buffalo Bills have had a topsy-turvy run through the 2025-26 NFL season as they are second in the AFC East with a 10-4 record behind the New England Patriots. Now, with just three games left in the regular season, Jim Kelly believes Josh Allen remains the key to success for the Bills.

“I mean, we play good, and then some days we don’t. I really don’t know at this point, but of course, I’m still on that bandwagon,” Kelly said. “I will never jump off of it. As long as we have number 17 on the field, I think we have a great chance.”

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And Jim Kelly isn’t wrong, as Superman has put up 3,276 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 14 games this season and remains the linchpin of the Bills’ offense. Now with the Cleveland Browns next on the schedule, the Bills Mafia will hope that Josh Allen continues his stellar form and racks up another win.