​Josh Allen envisions another football dream beyond steering the Buffalo Bills to a Super Bowl. The Bills quarterback said he would suit up for flag football on Team USA at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, describing winning Olympic gold as a long-held aspiration. “I would sign up tomorrow to be on the team,” Allen told Pittsford native and two-time Olympic gold medalist Chris Lillis. “I’ve always dreamed of competing for my country and being able to wear my own gold medal, but we’ll see how it works.”
Allen first floated interest in Olympic flag football last year after NFL owners approved player participation when the sport makes its Olympic debut in Los Angeles. The NFL will permit a maximum of one player per team to participate. While not guaranteed a spot, Allen acknowledged that making Team USA wouldn’t be automatic. “I don’t know if they’d want me,” he said. “I don’t know the ins-and-outs really of flag football. It’s a much different game than I thought it would be. But I do think that if there is a potential space, I would love to do it.” He added, with a nod to his California roots: “I’m from California. It’s in L.A. I live here now. Who knows?”
In the interview with Lillis, who has long been a Bills fan and owns two Olympic gold medals in mixed team aerials skiing, Allen first congratulated Lillis on his achievements. “Being a U.S. Olympic gold medalist is a dream that I’ve always had and I’ve never had the chance to accomplish it,” Allen said. “Congrats to you. That’s the coolest freaking thing.” Lillis joked that Allen still has a shot at earning one himself.
Beyond flag football, Allen reflected on what has helped the Bills forge such strong chemistry during his eight seasons in Buffalo. “You need to buy into the whole Buffalo lifestyle,” he noted. “There’s not a whole lot of flashiness to it. There aren’t many places to go exploring and get lost in the bright lights and clubs. But when you’re inviting people into your home for dinners, going to team events, and attending kids’ birthday parties, I do think that plays a huge part in building a team. When you can trust somebody off the field, it makes it that much easier to trust them on it.”
Allen also recalled how skiing and snowboarding shaped his childhood until a broken wrist altered his path. He said he broke his left wrist in seventh grade while snowboarding, which led his father to urge him to stop winter sports if he wanted to continue playing football, baseball, and basketball. “But I miss it,” Allen admitted. “I really do miss it.”
If Olympic flag football isn’t in the cards, Allen teased a preference for a Winter Olympics appearance. “I’d want to do a Winter Olympics,” he teased. “Maybe a skeleton or luge or something like that. I think a lot of weight there would be beneficial.” In a separate conversation with NFL Network, he touched on the appeal of unique pathways and the broad possibilities those avenues present, even as his primary focus remains his NFL career and leading the Bills on another championship push.