Bills quarterback Josh Allen is getting all sorts of invites these days. He's participating in "The Match" charity golf event in June, he's appearing in more national commercials and he's, of course, getting ready with teammates for next season.
But in December, when asked by Cash App to do a video with other quarterbacks, Allen couldn't make it.
“I was too busy eating wings and winning games – you know, Buffalo stuff,” Allen would say, waving his hands in a follow-up video.
Cash App, a mobile payment service that allows users to transfer money through an app, launched its first Bitcoin Quarterback Challenge in late December. Joe Burrow, Trey Lance, Daniel Jones and Bryce Young all competed in skill challenges to win money, with Allen tending to his Buffalo stuff.
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Allen posted a video on his Instagram the next day when he did the final challenge, which was seeing how far each quarterback could throw, by himself in Buffalo. He quipped that he didn't need to prove himself, but when one walks up to a football sitting nicely on a green podium on a field, what else is one to do but rocket it downfield?
Allen’s throw was good for 70 yards, winning him the challenge and more. Through the challenge, Allen was able to secure a $700,000 donation for the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, and specifically to the Patricia Allen Fund.
The fund was started in memory of Allen's grandmother, Patricia, in 2020, with Bills fans leading the charge in donations that would surpass $1 million. Allen is continuing to find ways to pour into the fund.
A $217,000 donation to Oishei Children's Hospital has pushed donations made to a fund in the name of Allen's grandmother past the $1 million mark.
“It helps so many different people,” Allen said. “So it's an honor and a blessing to be a part of something that helps out so many different families around the Western New York area."
As Allen gets more involved in commercials, he said he tries to prioritize a donation be part of the campaign. A Nike commercial in December with Allen pledged $100,000. The Bitcoin Quarterback Challenge provided each of the participating quarterbacks with major donations to recipients of their choice.
“The Patricia Allen Fund provides much-needed support to our Critical Care Team who cares for families when they need it most,” said Allegra Jaros, president of Oishei Children's Hospital in a statement.
“This support from CashApp, through Josh Allen’s partnership, is incredible and will go such a long way to help ensure our team has the tools needed to care for the kids and families in Western New York, building off the fund’s support from Josh Allen and fans all over the world."
It was one of numerous reasons he wanted to be involved in the partnership. Allen says he’s an advocate for Bitcoin, having moved from skepticism to embracing the cryptocurrency after many discussions with teammate Matt Barkley, who has a pdocast on the subject and has been nicknamed "Bitcoin Barkley." He’s interested in new technology and he loved the competition aspect of the challenge.
“It was one of the (more fun) things I've been a part of because we had so much fun on set and got to do it in Buffalo,” Allen said. “It was just an awesome time.”
Allen, who did his challenge while wearing shorts and a suit jacket, had a say in some of his lines, including the closer.
“Did Burrow wear a suit?” Allen asks as the commercial ends. “Didn’t think so.”
Allen picked the suit jacket out himself from a few similar options. He wanted to look as much like Ron Burgundy, the title character in Will Ferrell’s “Anchorman,” as possible.
“Just trying to have fun with it and poke fun at some of the other guys,” Allen said. “That was one of the funnest parts, was getting to talk with the director there and kind of bouncing ideas off of him, and it was just such a great time.”
