We knew Josh Allen was popular but that’s now elevated to ‘most loved’ player in NFL
A new fan sentiment study confirms Josh Allen's popularity on a national level, and takes it even a step further, rating the Buffalo Bills quarterback as the most loved player in all the National Football League.
Buffalo Bills fans are familiar with the significant popularity of quarterback Josh Allen.
Now, a new fan sentiment study confirms that popularity extends nationally and takes it even a step further, rating Allen as the most loved player in all the National Football League.
Allen takes the No. 1 overall spot in positive fan sentiment, according to Vegas Insider. He earned a Love Score of 10.0 – the strongest approval rating recorded in the dataset, according to analysis of Reddit discussions across the NFL and team subreddits.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is the "most loved" NFL player, according to a recent study.
Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
The results should not be surprising.
Allen’s marketability has already skyrocketed over the past year with a number of additional sponsorship deals to back national and global brands since being named the league’s 2024 Most Valuable Player.
He also topped the list for NFL jersey sales during 2025 – the second time that’s happened after having the top-selling jersey of the 2022 season.
“For a city that has embraced his emotional, physical style since day one, the ranking suggests Buffalo’s franchise quarterback has built admiration well beyond Western New York,” according to the report.
According to the data, Allen remains one of the league’s most discussed players and leads all quarterbacks in overall sustained praise in national debate by sports fans and pundits.
The report suggests it is not only about Allen’s play, but also his presence.
"He plays loud. He celebrates first downs. He lowers his shoulder instead of sliding,” according to Vegas Insider.
Allen is well-known for his size, strength and big arm and ability to leap, stiff arm or run through defenders to drive the field and score touchdowns.
Fans praise Allen’s competitiveness, risk-taking playing style, visible emotion, sideline energy, public accountability after losses, team-first mentality and authentic personality, according to the study.
Allen was emotional and accepted blame after the Bills’ 33-30 overtime loss at the Denver Broncos during the AFC divisional round playoffs. He accounted for four turnovers that game, but also led the team's comeback to force OT.
Quarterbacks dominate the upper tiers of love and hate rankings, “highlighting how visibility and responsibility amplify fan emotion,” according to the analysis.
“In a league where high-profile quarterbacks often divide opinion, Allen’s positive reaction appears to scale with visibility – not shrink under it,” Vegas Insider wrote.
Allen took the top spot in jersey sales, beating out New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who helped his team advance to the Super Bowl.
What helped was the boost in sales from the team’s third jersey sales. Allen's Nike Rivalries "whiteout" limited edition jersey finished as the NFL's top-selling product for the 2025 season.
The Bills quarterback didn’t even crack the top 10 in jersey sales in 2023 and 2024, after having the top-selling jersey in 2022.
The jersey sale numbers are compiled by NFLShop.com, the league’s official online store, and released each season by the NFL Players Association.
The sale of Allen products helped the Bills rake in record sales this past season at The Bills Store and for in-stadium retail.
It was already a boon for the team to have a well-known quarterback, but when Allen won MVP, it elevated things even further, allowing the team to sell all kinds of Allen merchandise, including an MVP retail line with an assortment of products. The sale of Allen items now makes up over 17% of all team sales
Allen is also one of the league’s most popular pitchmen. Allen was all over TV screens and on social media, endorsing a plethora of products this season, as well as making national headlines for marrying actress Hailee Steinfeld last May.
Some of the more recent relationships adding to Allen’s portfolio include signing with financial institution SoFi, footwear company New Balance, wellness brand Therabody and sleep support company Natrol Sleep & Restore.
He starred in some of the most popular commercials this season with Wonderful Pistachios, which is synonymous for its lighter side spots, and Pepsi, in a tailgate-related spot alongside Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
That’s all in addition to already representing big-time brands like Gatorade, Paramount, Gillette, Frito Lay, Verizon, Buffalo Wild Wings and prior to the season, becoming an equity partner with Buffalo-headquartered hat and apparel powerhouse New Era Cap.