Josh Allen admits he still has a chip on his shoulder after the Bills' disappointing season ended, adding to the motivation he carries into 2026.
Josh Allen doesn't need much reminding about how last season ended.
The Buffalo Bills quarterback admitted Tuesday that he still carries a chip on his shoulder heading into the 2026 season, with the team's latest playoff disappointment serving as another source of motivation.
“Yeah, I think I'll always have a chip on my shoulder,” Allen said. “The way that last season ended, you know, I actually wasn't happy with it. I haven't been happy with any of the seasons the way they've ended.”
Allen's comments came as the Bills prepare to begin another season with Super Bowl expectations. Despite the disappointment of the previous campaign, he isn't looking at 2026 as a continuation of what happened last year.
Instead, Allen emphasized the importance of treating the new season as a fresh start.
“Again, going into this season, blank slate,” Allen said. “We're all 0-0. It's a new season. I'm just trying to enjoy this game that I love.”
That doesn't mean the disappointment has disappeared.
Allen said his motivation comes from more than just the way the Bills' most recent season ended. Some of it dates back much further, to the doubts he faced before even reaching the NFL.
“You can probably say it's a mixture of everything,” Allen said when asked how much of his chip comes from the team's playoff loss compared to the bigger picture. “It's still a mixture of having zero offers out of high school and still playing with that little chip that I have.”
That chip has remained a defining part of Allen's career, even after establishing himself as one of the NFL's premier quarterbacks.
Now, with another season about to begin, Allen is focused on using that motivation without allowing it to become a distraction. His goal is straightforward: continue improving, keep pushing the Bills forward and finally find a way to get the team where it wants to go.
“Got to continue to find ways to keep getting better, keep pushing ourselves, and, you know, just keep grinding away and keep knocking at the door,” Allen said.
For Allen, the door has been there for years.
The disappointment of another season ending short of the ultimate goal hasn't erased his motivation. If anything, his comments suggest it has added another layer to the chip he's carried throughout his career.
