For years, we’ve heard the same tired narrative. Josh Allen is supposedly out here carrying the Buffalo Bills on his back while Lamar Jackson benefits from some unfair amount of help with the Baltimore Ravens.
Never mind that Jackson’s two MVP seasons were decidedly electric or that this year was his best yet. Disregard the fact that he just had the fourth-highest passer rating in NFL history. According to some, his success is only because of a strong supporting cast. Meanwhile, Allen, the “perennial underdog,” has had to “do more with less,” and somehow that makes him the superior quarterback. Boring.
Well, that story just took a massive hit. Bills running back James Cook is demanding a contract extension that would pay him $15 million a year—making him the second-highest-paid running back in the entire NFL. So, let’s get this straight: Derrick Henry’s presence in Baltimore is supposed to discredit Lamar’s MVP season, but Cook—who had 18 total touchdowns—doesn’t impact Allen’s production at all?
If Cook sees himself as one of the best running backs in the game (which, based on his price tag, he clearly does), then why aren’t we suddenly shifting the narrative around Allen? Where’s the “he has too much help” argument? Or do we just keep moving the goalposts to make sure Jackson gets all the scrutiny and Allen gets all the praise?
Time to retire the “Allen does more with less” myth
James Cook isn’t just some average running back looking for a pay raise. He rushed for 1,009 yards (his second-straight 1,000-yard campaign), tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns (16), and added 32 receptions for 258 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. His 18 total touchdowns made him one of the most productive players in football.
All of that, and yet, nobody is saying Allen’s job is easier because of him.
Meanwhile, the moment Baltimore signed Derrick Henry, people started acting like Lamar was suddenly throwing to prime Randy Moss, Jerry Rice, and Calvin Johnson. Henry isn’t even making top-five running back money—he signed for just $8 million per year, less than half of what Cook is demanding.
But somehow, only one quarterback gets discredited for having a capable backfield.
If we’re being fair, the same logic applied to Jackson should now apply to Allen. If the Bills have a running back worthy of being the second-highest-paid in the league, then it’s time to start acknowledging that Allen has more help than people want to admit. But that’s not how this works, right? Instead, we’ll just keep hearing how Allen is “dragging” Buffalo to relevance while Jackson is handed everything on a silver platter while simultaneously "failing."
This entire situation just highlights how ridiculous the conversation around these two quarterbacks has become. Jackson gets an elite running back, and it somehow makes his MVP-level production less impressive. Allen gets an elite running back, and nobody says a word about it.
It all culminated in this year’s MVP vote, where Jackson was first-team All-Pro—yet somehow Allen took home the MVP trophy. Make it make sense. The mental gymnastics required to keep Allen on a pedestal while constantly undercutting Jackson is exhausting.
At the end of the day, if James Cook is worth $15 million a year, then it’s time to retire the “Josh Allen does more with less” argument for good. Either we apply the same logic to both quarterbacks, or we finally admit what’s been obvious for a while—Jackson just doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Both quarterbacks are great, it's time to start taking that at face-value and finally move on.