Josh Allen Reveals How Fatherhood Changed His ‘Why’ as Bills Enter New Era

A lot has changed for Josh Allen over the past year, to say the least.

After his Bills lost yet another postseason heartbreaker—this time, a back-and-forth divisional round thriller at the hands of the Broncos—Buffalo made a franchise-altering decision, firing head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons and seven playoff appearances, and replacing him with offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

The move gives Allen just his second head coach since entering the NFL in 2018.

The Bills also officially completed construction on their new Highmark Stadium late last month. The state-of-the-art facility in Orchard Park, N.Y., gives the organization a new home as it enters a new era and pursues its first Super Bowl title.

Allen’s off-field life, meanwhile, has arguably changed just as dramatically in the past 12 months. Following his marriage to actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld in May 2025, the couple welcomed their first child—a baby girl—to the world this past spring.

Needless to say, the four-time Pro Bowler has his hands full heading into his age-30 NFL season. And while becoming a husband and a father has caused a perspective shift, Allen revealed, his ambitions haven’t changed. Even if the reason behind them has.

“I think the approach is the same,” Allen told Sports Illustrated about his new chapter, while promoting his continued partnership with Natrol, a drug-free sleep aid brand. “I think the goal is obviously the same: to win a Super Bowl. … The ‘want to’ doesn’t change, but the ‘why’ changes.”

This new “why,” Allen says, is centered around the newest addition to his family.

“Now I’ve got a daughter that will be looking up to me and taking after what I do,” he continued. “And even as someone so little and so young, I do feel like they absorb everything and they see everything. So making sure that I continue to work hard and do what’s necessary to try to win. And teach her that something so great, so crazy out in the distance that doesn’t seem attainable, through hard work, can be attainable.”

This shift in perspective is also reshaping how Allen prepares on a day-to-day basis. Though the losses clearly still hurt—as evidenced by the outward emotion he expressed after the Bills’ playoff loss last January—the quarterback says he’s becoming less consumed by results, and instead falling in love with both the journey and his overall process.

“I’m not trying to cheat the system,” Allen explained when asked what feels different at this point in his career. “I’m doing things the right way on and off the field, and I do feel like I’m stepping into the best version of myself as a father. When it comes to the football stuff, [it’s] putting out my best effort, doing everything that I feel is necessary to try to win football games. If I can do that, I can always hang my hat on that I did everything I could.”

Allen’s process now extends beyond the football field, as he says he’s placing a greater emphasis on sleep and recovery with a newborn at home. It’s one reason why the quarterback is continuing his partnership with Natrol, and incorporating their newest innovation—Natrol Ultra Sleep and Ultra Energy—into his daily routine.

“As I’ve become a dad, I feel like I’ve got a whole new perspective on sleep and the whole new reality of interrupted sleep and the unpredictability of it,” Allen said. “I understand how you need it to recover as great as you can. So just making sure now that I’ve turned 30, I’ve got a kid, I’m doing everything in my power to increase my recovery and that starts with sleep.”

Allen and Brady are in lockstep regarding the Bills’ ultimate goal

While Allen and the Bills will enter 2026 with a new head coach, this is far from a new relationship. Brady, 36, has spent the past four seasons with Buffalo, starting as their quarterbacks coach in 2022 before taking over offensive coordinator duties midway through the ’23 campaign. He’s worked directly alongside Allen for nearly five years, and has helped the Bills’ offense rank within the top seven in points per game every season since.

“I think to have the relationship that I do with Coach Brady,” Allen began when asked about his new boss, before admitting it’s been weird getting used to calling him “Coach.” “We have such a good relationship and we truly want the same thing. … We’re on the same page in terms of what it’s gonna take to get there, holding each other accountable.”

Allen says that this mutual trust, coupled with the shared goal of winning a championship, will allow Brady to coach him hard and without reservation.

“He’s in a position where I’ve told him, ‘I want you to coach me as you would coach anybody else,’” he continued. “So there’s that type of relationship that we have where we can fully push each other to be the best that we can be and very much looking forward to that this year.”

New stadium, new era

Allen has been watching Buffalo’s new home come to life for quite some time.

Construction on the Bills’ new Highmark Stadium began in June 2023, and thanks to the layout of their previous facility, Allen and his teammates were able to watch it rise piece by piece just across Orchard Park’s Abbott Road.

While the venue includes all the modern amenities you would expect in a new NFL stadium, Buffalo stayed true to its roots by leaving the roof open despite the region’s volatile weather. They also engineered panels that, as Allen explained, will help reduce the wind.

“I, for one, like that they didn’t close it,” Allen said. “I love the snow games, and it’s still going to be a little bit rainy and there will be a little wind. … So I do feel like we have some sort of advantage there, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Whether the new digs will give the Bills a leg up on their opponents or not remains to be seen. Either way, seeing the finished product makes this new era of football in Buffalo all the more real.

“To see them finally put the logo of the Bills on that stadium and type it out with ‘Highmark Stadium,’ it’s a spectacular stadium for Western New York,” Allen said. “I’m very excited to create new memories and to have people be in there and be as loud as possible and help us out when we have home games.”

In the end, while Allen’s coach, stadium and life away from football are all changing drastically heading into 2026, his goal remains the same: to win a Super Bowl. He knows the first step is to take the AFC East back from the Patriots, and notes that once you get into the postseason, anything can happen.

“In order to win a championship, you’ve got to buy yourself a ticket to win the lottery,” Allen said. “That lottery is the Super Bowl and the ticket is the playoffs. So whatever it comes down to, find a way to make the playoffs.”

“We want to bring a Lombardi Trophy to Western New York,” he continued. “I truly believe it’s one of the last great sports stories out there, to win a Super Bowl in Buffalo. And our team is very motivated to try to go do that.”

After discussing fatherhood, football and the Bills’ next chapter, Allen kept things surprisingly simple when asked what he hopes fans will remember about him when his career is over. He smiled after a long pause.

“Ooh. Just … that they enjoyed watching me play.”

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Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollowPublished 23 seconds ago | Modified 23 seconds agoMIKE KADLICK

Mike Kadlick is an NFL writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.

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