New England Patriots
“His maturation process has been second to none in my eyes.”
FOXBOROUGH — Stefon Diggs witnessed firsthand the evolution of Josh Allen from promising young quarterback into an elite MVP candidate during his time in Buffalo.
After two seasons in the NFL ranks where Allen threw for 30 touchdowns but was also knocked for 21 interceptions and a 56.3 percent completion, the Bills QB found his stride during Diggs’ first year with the team.
During that 2020 campaign — Allen’s third in the NFL — he thrived with Diggs in place as the team’s No. 1 target, throwing for 37 touchdowns and finishing second in NFL MVP voting behind Aaron Rodgers.
Now in New England, Diggs has seen a similar script play out this season, with Drake Maye going from a talented — but raw — prospect into one of the frontrunners for NFL MVP in his second season in the NFL ranks.
But, when asked to compare the two QBs, Diggs seemed to think that Maye’s development in such short order stands alone when compared to other franchise stars in the league.
“His maturation process has been second to none in my eyes,” Diggs said of Maye, adding: “As far as the MVP conversation, that guy [Allen] on the other side of the ball [that] we’re about to play against is a hell of a player. I believe that team goes through him.
“And at this point, I like our guy. Our guy’s been playing extremely well. I’m not going to put it all on him. We’ve obviously been supporting him, but he’s done a great job at making good decisions, play in and play out. And I’m super proud of him.”
Allen’s play in Buffalo is one of the main reasons why the Bills remain in the playoff picture. The 29-year-old QB ranks second in completion percentage (70.1), fifth in passing touchdowns (22), and eighth in passing yards (3,085).
While Allen has been far more effective as a rushing threat this year with 487 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, Maye has been the more effective passer in 2025 — ranking first in completion percentage (71.5), second in passing yards (3,412), and recording 23 passing touchdowns with just six interceptions.
Maye and Allen might be taking the field as foes on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
But, the Bills QB doled out plenty of praise for Maye while speaking to reporters in Buffalo on Wednesday.
“He’s playing like a veteran quarterback, he’s seeing things extremely well,” Allen of Maye. “He plays at a great pace, looks like things have slowed down for him. Which, again, we hate to see that. But I’m happy for how well he’s playing because he’s a great human being on top of being a football player. We’ve just got to find a way to win on Sunday.”
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