Wyoming announced on Wednesday that it will be retiring former quarterback Josh Allen‘s No. 17 jersey in its regular season home finale against Nevada on Nov. 22.
Allen played for Wyoming from 2015-2017 and was named Second Team All-MWC in 2016. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and has emerged into one of the NFL’s top players. He was named the league’s MVP last season.
The MVP. Back at the War. pic.twitter.com/tSUBDNOhF7
— Wyoming Cowboy Football (@wyo_football) September 4, 2025
Since his breakout 2020 campaign, Allen has been one of the league’s best signal callers. Allen finished in the top five of MVP voting three times before winning it this past season. In 17 games, he threw for 3,731 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions on 63.6 percent passing. Allen rushed for 531 yards and 12 scores.
Allen led the Bills on another long playoff run this past season which came to an end in the AFC Championship Game. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Bills to advance to Super Bowl LIX. But with Allen locked up long-term, the Bills will almost certainly continue to be one of the favorites in the AFC moving forward.
The two parties agreed on a six-year, $330 million contract that includes $250 million guaranteed this offseason. Allen had four years remaining on his deal, but the Bills decided to reward the 28-year-old with a new one after an MVP season in 2024. He is now under contract through the 2030 season.
The guarantee is the largest ever given to an NFL player. Deshaun Watson was the previous record holder when the Cleveland Browns gave him $230 million guaranteed in 2022.
“I think it means a lot to the city,” Allen said after winning MVP. “This is something that they were probably rooting for… I know that anytime we step onto that field in our stadium, they’re all chanting MVP. It’s such a surreal feeling to know that they care so much and care so much about this. I wish we weren’t hosting this trophy.
“I wish we were hoisting the Lombardi. We’re gonna keep working until we do.”
Since coming into the league, Allen has the most wins (76), total touchdowns (262) and total yards (30,595) by any player all-time in their first seven seasons, per the team’s official website. This past season, he passed Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly for the most total touchdowns in franchise history.
His number will now be forever enshrined inside War Memorial Stadium.
On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this report.
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