Josh Allen shows admiration for division rival Aaron Rodgers ahead of Week 1 battle - "I love Aaron"

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will undergo a litmus test to open the 2023 NFL season. Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets are on the Bills' way to victory.

While the two All-Pro quarterbacks will invoke their competitive will to outlast the other, Allen maintained that they are friends beyond the gridiron.

Regarding their Week 1 matchup, FanDuel TV’s Kay Adams asked the Bills’ starting quarterback:

“How could you be friends with the enemy?”

Allen responded:

“He wasn’t the enemy when I first became friends with him. I love Aaron, though. He's so awesome. He's taken me kind of, I wouldn't say, under his wing, but off the field, just having conversations with him. We've got a few times together, and I really enjoy being around him.”

Rodgers was already in his 14th NFL season when the Bills took Josh Allen in the first round of the 2018 draft. Despite their 12-year age difference, they’ve become good friends, mainly because of their shared passion for golf.

This year, they competed in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a tournament Rodgers won. However, Allen jokingly pointed out that Rodgers’ victory has an asterisk because the rain shortened the tournament to three rounds.

Allen and Rodgers also participated in the American Century Championship, won by Steph Curry.

They also competed in the June 2022 version of The Match. In that exhibition golf tournament, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady edged Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.

Allen’s affection for golf led him to purchase a $7.2 million house at the exclusive Monarch Bay community in Dana Point, California. There’s a nearby golf course to the three-bathroom, four-bedroom property.

Josh Allen has no idea how he and Aaron Rodgers clicked

While they share the same interests in football and golf, Allen cannot pinpoint what made them friends.

He shared with Adams:

“I don't know why he likes me as much as he does, because I feel like he's a very, you know, straight-line guy. He either likes or he doesn't. I'm not sure what I did to get on that right side, but I'm glad I did.”

But their friendship must take a back seat when they finally meet on Sept. 11 at MetLife Stadium. After all, getting the first victory can kickstart an excellent campaign for the winners.

While Josh Allen and the Bills are three-time defending division champions, they will face stiff competition from the rest of the AFC East.

They nearly lost to the Miami Dolphins in last year’s Wild Card Round. Meanwhile, the New England Patriots will have some order on offense after Bill O’Brien’s arrival.

Finally, Aaron Rodgers and the Jets have stacked rosters on both sides, enough to break their 12-season playoff drought.