​If someone were to chisel a Mount Rushmore for Bills quarterbacks in the rolling hills south of Buffalo, it’s easy to guess who the first three would be.There’s hall-of-fame quarterback Jim Kelly, leader of the Super Bowl-era teams. Right next to him would be Josh Allen, the force of nature who seemingly rewrites team and NFL record books multiple times each season.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNext to those two greats would be Joe Ferguson, who led the offense from 1973 to 1984 and ranks third in all-time passing yards with 27,590.Who would be the fourth? Doug Flutie, of course.1 / 71Doug Flutie took the ball and ran with it when the Buffalo Bills made the 35-year-old quarterback the starter following an injury to Rob Johnson. Flutie went 21-9 as a starter with Bills over three seasons, with an incredible 70% winning percentage.(For The Win)”Inch for inch, Flutie in his prime was the best quarterback of his generation.” — John Madden, NFL analystDoug Flutie is more than just the player behind college football’s most memorable Hail Mary pass.Over his 21-year pro career, which includes time in the United States Football League, Canadian Football League, and two stints in the National Football League plus the postseason, the quarterback threw or ran for a combined 70,332 total yards and 475 total touchdowns, according to Ryan Michael’s October 2025 retrospective for the Pro Football Hall of Fame titled, Doug Flutie: From Magic to Mentor.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere’s no doubt that his time in the CFL — where he won three Grey Cups, six Most Outstanding Player awards and is widely considered the all-time greatest player — made Flutie a better quarterback. And that became apparent during his second NFL stint, when the veteran drove the Bills to the playoffs the two seasons he was the primary starter in Buffalo during the 1998 and 1999 seasons.Had Flutie not been dogged by a quarterback controversy with Rob Johnson during his three seasons with the Bills, who knows what could have happened. It’s one of the great what-ifs in Western New York sports.After looking through our gallery of Flutie’s exciting career in Buffalo, check out our collections of photos celebrating other Bills greats throughout franchise history.1 / 63Bruce Smith celebrates with a teammate in 1992.(Annette Lein/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)1 / 41Andre Reed is the greatest wide receiver in Buffalo Bills history and it isn’t even close. He leads the Bills in receptions (941), receiving yards (13,095) and receiving touchdowns (86). (Shawn Dowd/Democrat and Chronicle file photo)1 / 31Steve Tasker is a former wide receiver/special teams player who played for Buffalo Bills from 1986-97. Obscure fact about Tasker: He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the late rounds of the 1985 NFL Draft. The Bills claimed him off waivers during the 1986 season.(Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)1 / 32Darryl Talley is arguably the greatest linebacker to e