Who are the 10 best Buffalo Bills of all time?

Nobody moves in circles like the Buffalo Bills, but there were a handful of players who moved in circles better than others in franchise history.

The Bills haven’t peaked in the NFL era, but they captured multiple AFL titles in their first seasons as a franchise in the 1960s. They’ve had some ups and downs since then, becoming the first team to play in four Super Bowls. consecutive in the 1990s before missing the playoffs for 17 consecutive seasons.

Today, Buffalo has consistently been one of the best teams in the league. The 2024 season marked the sixth consecutive year they made the playoffs and the fifth consecutive year they won the AFC East.

As the Bills chase that elusive Super Bowl title, here are the 10 best players in their franchise history.

10. Jack Kemp (1962-1969)

Kemp might be one of the few NFL stars best known for his career off the field. Before becoming a politician and vice presidential candidate, Kemp emerged as one of the first great players in Bills history. He also arrived in Buffalo in an unusual way. After an AFL All-Star season, Kemp was placed on waivers by the Chargers early in the 1962 season after he broke his finger, and his former team attempted to cover it up. However, the Bills noticed that Kemp was on waivers and claimed the quarterback for a $100 fee. He missed most of the 1962 season, but was again named an AFL All-Star. He was also named an All-Star in each of the next four seasons, helping Buffalo reach the AFL playoffs in four consecutive years. He also led the Bills to the AFL title in the 1964 and 1965 seasons.

9. Billy Shaw (1961-1969)

Shaw was part of the offensive line that allowed Kemp to become one of the AFL’s best quarterbacks and the Bills to become a playoff mainstay in the 1960s. He was an eight-time All-Star and was named to the AFL all-time team in 1970. He actually wanted to play defense when he was drafted, starring as a two-way lineman in college. Instead, he was so good as a guard that he was the only player to be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame after never playing in the NFL.

8. Steve Tasker (1986-1997)

It’s hard for a special teams player to stand out in the NFL, but Tasker did it during the Bills’ run of Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s and beyond. He was named All-Pro five times and Pro Bowler seven times in his 12 seasons with the Bills, winning Pro Bowl MVP in 1993. But his excellence as a gunner (204 tackles) and on the team’s punt blocking team (seven career punt blocks) helped the Bills reach four straight Super Bowls. Tasker is considered by some to be the greatest non-kicker special teams player in history, prompting calls for him to be in the Hall of Fame despite playing an overlooked position.

7. Joe DeLamielleure (1973-1979, 1985)

For OJ Simpson to emerge as one of the most productive running backs of all time, he needed some help from the offensive line. DeLamielleure was one of those key blockers, serving as an integral part of the “Electric Company” offensive line. The guard was a six-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro (three first-team) during his career with the Bills, which also paved the way for the Bills to be one of the lowest-sack teams in the mid-1970s. .

6. André Reed (1985-1999)

Not many wide receivers produced at the level Reed did during the 1980s and ’90s. The seven-time Pro Bowler was in the top 10 in receptions five times and top 10 in touchdown receptions four times in his career, but perhaps Be best known for his playoff heroics. He had at least two receiving touchdowns in the postseason in each of the Bills’ first three trips to the Super Bowl. His most memorable performance came in the 32-point comeback in 1992, scoring three touchdowns as part of the victory over the Houston Oilers. When he retired, Reed ranked second all-time in receptions (951). He was also in the top three in Super Bowl receptions and yards at the time of his retirement.

5. DO Simpson (1969-1977)

Simpson had one of the most dominant careers in history for a running back, earning five consecutive Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro nods in the 1970s. He also finished in the top four in MVP voting four times during that span, winning the award when he had arguably the best season for a running back in 1973. Simpson rushed for 2,003 yards that year, the most by a running back in the 14-game era. His 11,236 career rushing yards were the second most in NFL history at the time of his retirement.

Allen could end up being the best player in Bills history when his career is over. But through his first seven seasons, he’s already made a strong enough case to be considered one of the Bills’ five best players. Allen has guided the Bills to the kind of success they haven’t achieved since the early 1990s, leading them to five straight AFC East titles. He has also become one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in NFL history during that time, rushing for at least 400 yards and six touchdowns in each of the first seven seasons of his career. His 65 career rushing touchdowns are the second-most by a quarterback at the end of the 2024 regular season.

Of course, Allen has also shown prowess as a passer. He has been in the top 10 in passing yards and touchdowns in five years of his career, earning three Pro Bowl nods. He could also win his first MVP for his play in the 2024 season.

3. Thurman Thomas (1988-1999)

Thomas was one of the first great dual-threat running backs in NFL history. While catching passes from Jim Kelly, Thomas led the NFL in total yards from scrimmage in four of his first five seasons. That helped him earn five Pro Bowl nominations throughout his career. He also won Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year in 1991, rushing for 1,407 yards and seven touchdowns, along with 631 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns that season. That year also marked one of four consecutive seasons in which the Bills reached the Super Bowl. The previous season, he had 190 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in their loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV. He also held postseason records for most touchdowns (21) and consecutive games with a touchdown (nine) when he retired.

2. Jim Kelly (1986-1996)

You can’t leave out the man who steered the ship of those great Bills teams of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Kelly, who initially did not want to be a part of the Bills, eventually joined the team in 1986 after after the USFL folded. He quickly became one of the most successful passers in league history, recording nine seasons in which he finished in the top 10 in touchdown passes and six more in which he finished in the top 10 in passing yards.

Kelly was also a five-time Pro Bowler in his career, memorably leading the Bills to four consecutive AFC titles between 1990 and 1993. Buffalo also reached the postseason eight times in Kelly’s 11 years as quarterback, making him became a Hall of Famer, a no-brainer.

1. Bruce Smith (1985-1999)

Smith spent 15 of his 19 dominant seasons in Buffalo, arguably becoming the greatest pass rusher of all time as he was a big part of the Bills’ run to four consecutive Super Bowls. He recorded double-digit sack seasons 12 times in a 13-year span from 1986-1998, playing in only five games due to injury the year he fell short of that mark. While becoming a Pro Bowl and All-Pro mainstay for much of his career (honored 11 times in both), Smith twice won the NFL’s highest defensive award. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1990 with 19 sacks, adding another sack when he recorded a safety in Super Bowl XXV. He won his second Defensive Player of the Year award in 1996, when he recorded a league-high five forced fumbles.

When Smith retired with Washington after the 2003 season, he had 200 career sacks, the most in NFL history. He had 171 of them with the Bills. Therefore, it is no surprise that he was ranked as the Bills’ best player after being ranked as the greatest pass rusher of all time by FOX Sports.

Honorable mentions:

• Darryl Talley
• Kyle Williams
• kent helmet
• gilchrist cookie
• Cornelius Bennett

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