"He's one of the greatest dudes": When Josh Allen was all-praises for $260,000,000 Ravens QB

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen and Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson have so much in common. Both were drafted in 2018 and inside the top 10. Both of them are close competitors to Patrick Mahomes and among the best QBs of their generation while being dual-threats on the field. They also started their career slowly before progressing to the top tier.

Despite the fierce competition, they share a deep mutual respect for each other. Back in January 2021, when Allen was interviewed on Bills Live, he praised Lamar Jackson and said,

"I tell this to everybody I talk to about him — he is one of the greatest dudes you can be around. He really is," Allen said Tuesday during his press conference. "For him to kind of have the adversity of coming out the first year and people doubted him, and then go out and explode on the scene last year and just be this dynamic quarterback. ... I root heavily for him, just knowing what he went through his first year, how he's been able to do it, and how humble and how awesome he is off the field. He's just one of those guys you root for."

While the Bills' quarterback was labelled a slow starter in his Combine report, Jackson only had six TDs in 16 games with a completion rate of 58.2%. However, Jackson flipped the script and won the NFL MVP award in the 2019-20 season, fetching him a whooping $260 million contract later.

Lamar Jackson heaps praise for rival QB Josh Allen

When Jackson heard about the appreciative words from Allen, he responded by sharing similar sentiment about the former Wyoming QB.

“People are always just talking about Josh and his big arm, but he's doing it all out there," Jackson said. "He's getting out of the pocket, taking advantage of what the defense gives him, throwing the ball on a rope. He's slinging the ball like Patrick Mahomes. He's helping his team out a lot. He's one of the key reasons they're putting up so many points and winning games. Hats off to Josh because he's been doing it since his rookie season.”

The two are set to face each other on Jan 19 for a spot in the AFC Championship title. Interestingly, they are also competing to win the NFL MVP award this season as the top contenders. While Jackson has won twice, it may be Allen’s first. The winner of this game will face the winner of the Chiefs vs. Texans game in yet another possible QB clash with the 3x champ Mahomes.