Mike Tomlin has spent nearly two decades watching some of the NFL's best quarterbacks from the opposing sideline.

If he could choose one to coach himself, he's taking Josh Allen.

"Who do I wanna coach? I'd take Josh Allen." – Mike Tomlin has vehement praise for the Bills QB1 😤 | @JacCollinsworth pic.twitter.com/LC7lqvczD3

— PFF (@PFF) September 8, 2026

When asked to pick between Allen, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson, the former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach didn't hesitate.

“I would coach Josh Allen,” Tomlin said on the PFF NFL Show. “It would be Josh for me, man. It just seems like he is at his best in the most critical moments.”

Tomlin pointed toward Allen's ability to beat defenses in virtually every way.

“He can do it with his arms; he can do it with his legs. Not only does he want it, he needs it. He looks like he is built for it.”

Allen certainly looked the part Thursday night. The Buffalo Bills superstar accounted for five touchdowns in a 41-31 victory over the Detroit Lions, throwing three while adding two more on the ground. Allen completed 20 of 31 passes for 248 yards and added another 69 rushing yards. He repeatedly punished Detroit when it blitzed and helped Buffalo score touchdowns on five of its first six possessions.

James Cook eventually added Buffalo's sixth touchdown after Allen and the offense marched deep into Detroit territory again.

The performance came only four days after Allen accounted for four touchdowns in Buffalo's season-opening victory over Houston. Through two games, the Bills look like one of the NFL's most dangerous teams, and Allen remains the biggest reason why.

Burrow and Jackson obviously belong in any conversation about the league's elite quarterbacks.

But if Tomlin gets to choose?

Allen is “the dude.”