Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee Thurman Thomas, a key member of the Buffalo Bills teams that reached four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s, believes current Bills quarterback Josh Allen has the potential to deliver multiple championships for the franchise.
“I truly think Josh can win two Super Bowls,” Thomas told Eric Williams. “And I think that will put him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. … I want him to be great and in the Hall of Fame, because if he’s in the Hall of Fame, he’ll have done great things here in Buffalo. (…) I don’t know if he’ll be the greatest Bill of all, because I think Bruce Smith is the greatest Buffalo Bill of all time. For Josh to unseat him would be hard. But give him a couple MVPs and a Super Bowl, and I’ll think he’ll do it.”
Thomas, who along with his wife Patti now operates a construction business called the 34 Group, is currently involved with building the new Highmark Stadium. The facility, expected to open in 2026 with seating for 62,000 fans, will have seats installed by Thomas’s company.
He spoke about this partnership through his collaboration with Carhartt on a short film titled “Making the Stadium Possible,” which aims to honor workers on the stadium project. “We highlight the unsung heroes that are doing the work over there,” Thomas said. “We want to feature the backbone of that, and that is the men and women who are over there doing these jobs week in and week out.”
Reflecting on Allen’s playing style and contributions last season—including 531 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns—Thomas noted, “What makes him dangerous is he’s 6-4, 240 pounds, and he can hurdle you,” Thomas said. “He has great speed for a guy that big, and he’s not afraid of contact. Once you get him outside of that pocket, that’s when he becomes dangerous — because he can run for a 40-yard touchdown and nobody would even touch him. Or he can throw it 60 yards down the field on the run.
“Remember when Tom Brady first started going to Super Bowls and winning? I mean, you couldn’t name three receivers that he had in the first Super Bowl. … Josh Allen has figured out the game, and I want to see that progress this year because, basically, he has the same wide receivers that he had last year. And are those numbers going to go up? I think they will.”
While optimistic about Allen’s future prospects as a Hall of Famer himself, Thomas compared current Bills rosters with his own era. “We were more balanced back then,” Thomas said. “But I think they have the ability to run now because of Josh and James Cook, who has done a good job running the football the past few years. Our defense was a little bit better than in the last couple years.And that No. 1 factor is Bruce Smith.”
Thomas also spoke highly of running back James Cook following Cook’s recent contract extension: “I will say this to the day that I die: In the AFC Championship Game against Kansas City, I thought he was the best player on the football field, even with the limited touches that he had,” Thomas said. “I hope his percentage goes up to where he can make a lot more plays. I would love to see that out of him this year. He got a nice contract, so I hope he’s expecting himself to do a little bit more. I’m excited for him.”
Looking ahead to next season when Buffalo will open its new stadium, Thomas expressed his hopes for team success: being reigning Super Bowl champions when they move into their new home remains at top of mind.
