Ahead of Buffalo’s meeting with Cincinnati in the AFC Divisional Round, Bills quarterback Josh Allen was asked if he planned to step up his pregame outfit to match Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who is known for his unique fashion sense.
“No, he’s going to win that battle 10 times out of 10,” Allen said with a laugh on Wednesday. “I don’t dress to impress on game day. I just kind of walk in the closest and pick whatever I see first.”
The answer was quintessential Allen. He has endeared himself to the blue-collar Western New York community through his normal-guy persona, as well as his on-field excellence.
These days, Allen is most likely to arrive on game day wearing an outfit that looks like it could be replicated at the team store. Pregame photos show him arriving in an array of sleek T-shirts and hoodies, as well as team-logo apparel and that gives a more relaxed look than he opted for earlier in his career.
While Burrow’s outfits seemingly announce that patterns, hats, sunglasses and jewels can all be mixed and matched as long as you wear them with confidence, Allen’s athleisure vibe simply says he’s ready to kick back and watch a Will Ferrell movie at the drop of a (designer) hat.
Allen’s most well-known pregame look was arguably a hoodie with his high school logo across the chest that spurred consumer demand and helped Firebaugh High raise $100,000.
Contrast that with Burrow, a Heisman Trophy winner and Super Bowl finalist who garners headlines in GQ and was named one of the New York Times’ 93 Most Stylish People of 2022, alongside Rihanna, Zendaya and Harry Styles.
“They’re definitely real,” Burrow once told a reporter who asked if the diamonds in his necklace were real. “I think I make too much money to have fake ones.”
For the record, Allen makes substantially more money than Burrow – at least until Burrow signs his first contract extension. But Allen seems to choose comfort over flash on game day, feeling no pressure to compete with Burrow off the field.
“Maybe someday down the road,” Allen said.
