Going into the offseason, Buffalo was a hopeful destination for Kyle Allen. The QB officially made Buffalo home on Thursday, signing a one-year contract.
So why the Bills? His good friend, former roommate, and offseason training partner Josh Allen may have had something to do with the draw to Buffalo.
"It was more me recruiting him (Josh) to let me come up here," Kyle Allen said. "I mean you look at guys across the league who you respect and who you want to play behind and help support, I think Josh is at the top of the list. Not only is he a good friend to me, but just from a quarterback standpoint around the entire NFL, he's one of the best in the league and he does it the right way."
And almost 24 hours into the free agency period, general manager Brandon Beane reunited the two friends and made Kyle a Buffalo Bill.
"I'm just here to support him in any way I can," Kyle said. "I think our relationship over the last six years, we're super close. We're boys. Same with (Matt) Barkley, they're boys. And with Case (Keenum) it became that way last year. But I think that we can really help him and have real conversations with him, and he can respect our opinions in other ways where sometimes you're in different quarterback rooms where guys don't really know each other and maybe the respect isn't there. But I think the respect is fully there all around the room."
The GM shared that he had been checking in on Kyle throughout his time in Carolina and and Washington, and he likes the skill set and experience that he can add to the Bills roster.
"He's athletic, he can make all the throws and the thing I talked about with Kyle, some of the downfalls that he's had is just, it's funny, it's a little bit like Josh, when he tries to do too much," Beane said. "When he's playing in the system, spitting the ball out, he's won some games as a starter. Good to add him to the mix."
Kyle and Josh go from training together to now playing together. Their friendship started fresh out of college, just before the 2018 NFL Draft. The two met in California where they trained together for the draft with QB coach Jordan Palmer and they spent time off the field together as roommates during that time.
"He took the master room with the best shower and then there's three of us sharing one bathroom and another shower," Kyle said jokingly. "Pretty selfish roommate I'd say."
The QB duo still returns to their California training spot almost every offseason, however no longer as roommates. Kyle will never forget the fond memories they created during their time living together, but he'll also always remember the impression Josh first made on him as a person on and off the field.
"I think obviously the physical is apparent always, but I just think the kind of person that he is," Kyle said. "I think you've gotten to really see that over the years and how much he cares about the community and how much he cares about his teammates and his family. And I think that just radiates off him. I think as a leader of a franchise, it's all you want."
But Josh isn't the only star in the Bills locker room that Kyle is familiar with. Before transferring to Houston, Kyle played at Von Miller's alma mater, Texas A&M, for two seasons.
"Von's the man," Kyle said. "I don't know Von super well, but I've always talked to him over the years here and there, and obviously always looked up to him. When I went to A&M, he still is an A&M legend, but he was fresh off the Super Bowl. So, it's going to be awesome to play with him."
Aside from the star-studded locker room, there were other factors that sparked Kyle's interest in joining the Bills. The Bills franchise and the Buffalo community were pretty high on that list.
"I just really respected this franchise over my career in the NFL," Kyle said. "We've played them probably three or four times and it's been just a tough hard-nosed game every time, hard-fought. I feel like we always played in Buffalo too and just the energy in the stadium and the fans and how tough it really is to come in here and win. I just wanted to be a part of something like that."
2023 will mark Kyle's sixth season in the NFL. He spent time with the Carolina Panthers, the Washington Football Team, and is coming off the 2022 season with the Houston Texans. Now, he's eager to fit into the Bills offense.
"I think when you watch this offense and you watch Josh in this offense, no one else in the league is gonna do that," Kyle said. "Maybe a couple people, but when you really just break down the offense and you break down the plays where he's not shaking guys off and throwing Hail Marys, it's an exceptional offense and it's really fun to watch … It's been fun to watch this offense evolve over the years and see how he plays in it but also see other guys."
As a member of the Bills QB room, the newest Allen is looking forward to not only supporting Josh but also feeding off his competitive energy.
"It's so with anything we do in life, and anything he does in life is ultra competitive. You guys have seen that. But with just hanging out like, throwing and working out, golfing, doing whatever, it's always super competitive. So I think hopefully that'll push both of us."
