Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills, but there were a handful of players who circled those wagons better than others in franchise history.
The Bills haven’t reached the mountaintop in the NFL era, but they captured multiple AFL titles in their early seasons as a franchise in the 1960s. They’ve had some peaks and valleys since then, becoming the first team to ever play in four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s before missing the playoffs for 17 consecutive seasons.
Nowadays, Buffalo has consistently been one of the best teams in the league. The 2024 season marked the sixth straight year it reached the playoffs and its fifth straight year winning the AFC East.
As the Bills chase that elusive Super Bowl title, here are the 10 best players in their franchise’s history.
10. Jack Kemp (1962-1969)
Kemp might be one of the handful of NFL stars more known for their career off the gridiron. Before he became a politician and a vice presidential candidate, Kemp emerged as one of the first great players in Bills history. He also arrived in Buffalo in unusual fashion. Coming off an AFL All-Star season, Kemp was placed on waivers by the Chargers early in the 1962 season after he broke his finger, with his former team attempting to hide him. The Bills noticed Kemp was on waivers, though, claiming the quarterback for a $100 fee. He missed the majority of the 1962 season but was named an AFL All-Star again. He was also named an All-Star in each of the next four seasons, helping Buffalo make the AFL playoffs in four straight years. He led the Bills to the AFL title in the 1964 and 1965 seasons, too.
9. Billy Shaw (1961-1969)
Shaw was a 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’s 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 teamer to stand out in the NFL, but Tasker did that during the Bills’ run of Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s and longer. He was named an All-Pro five times and a Pro Bowler seven times in his 12 seasons with the Bills, winning MVP of the Pro Bowl Game in 1993. But his excellence as a gunner (204 tackles) and on the punt block team (seven career punt blocks) helped the Bills reach four straight Super Bowls. Some consider Tasker the best non-kicker special teams player in history, leading to calls for him to be in the Hall of Fame despite playing an overlooked position.
7. Joe DeLamielleure (1973-1979, 1985)
In order for O.J. Simpson to emerge as one of the most productive running backs of all time, he needed some assistance 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 on the first team) over his Bills career, also paving the way for the Bills to be one of the least-sacked teams in the middle of the 1970s.
6. Andre Reed (1985-1999)
Not many wide receivers produced at the level that Reed did throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The seven-time Pro Bowler was in the top 10 in receptions five times and in the top 10 in receiving touchdowns four times in his career, but he might be best known for his playoff heroics. He recorded at least two receiving touchdowns in the postseason of each of the Bills’ first three Super Bowl trips. His most memorable performance came in their 32-point comeback win in 1992, hauling in 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 for Super Bowl receptions and yards at the time of his retirement.
5. O.J. Simpson (1969-1977)
Simpson had one of the most dominant runs ever for a running back, earning five straight 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 arguably had the best season ever for a running back in 1973. Simpson rushed for 2,003 yards that year, the most ever for 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 might end up being the best player in Bills history when his career is all finished. But through his first seven seasons, he’s already made a strong enough case to be considered a top-five Bills player ever. Allen has guided the Bills to the kind of success that they haven’t achieved since the early 1990s, leading them to five straight AFC East titles. He’s also turned into one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in NFL history over 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 ever for a quarterback as of the end of the 2024 regular season.
Of course, Allen has displayed prowess as a passer, too. He’s 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. As he caught passes from Jim Kelly, Thomas led the NFL in total scrimmage yards in four of his first five seasons. That helped him earn five Pro Bowl nods over his career. He also won MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 1991, rushing for 1,407 yards and seven touchdowns to go with 631 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns that season. That year also marked one of the four straight seasons when the Bills reached the Super Bowl. In the season prior, he had 190 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in their loss to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV. He also had 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 off the man who steered the ship for those great Bills teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Kelly, who initially didn’t want to be a part of the Bills, eventually joined the team in 1986 after the USFL folded. He quickly became one of the most accomplished passers in league history, posting nine seasons where he finished in the top 10 in passing touchdowns and six more where 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 from 1990-93. Buffalo also made the postseason eight times in Kelly’s 11 years as a quarterback, making him a no-brainer Hall of Famer.
1. Bruce Smith (1985-1999)
Smith spent 15 of his dominant 19 seasons in Buffalo, arguably becoming the greatest pass-rusher of all time as he was a huge part of the Bills’ run to four straight Super Bowls. He recorded double-digit sack seasons 12 times in a 13-year span between 1986-1998, playing in just five games due to injury in the one year he didn’t reach that mark. As he became a Pro Bowl and All-Pro mainstay for much of his career (honored 11 times in both), Smith won the NFL’s top defensive award twice. 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, which remains the most in NFL history. He had 171 of those with the Bills. So, it’s no surprise he was ranked as the best Bills player ever after being ranked the best pass-rusher ever by FOX Sports.
Honorable mentions:
- Darryl Talley
- Kyle Williams
- Kent Hull
- Cookie Gilchrist
- Cornelius Bennett
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