Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas was the engine for one of the most dominant offenses in NFL history, helping to lead the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s. But those teams famously fell short of bringing a Lombardi Trophy back to Buffalo.
Thomas now believes that reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen and the current team can finally accomplish that feat for Bills fans.
“I truly think Josh can win two Super Bowls,” Thomas told me. “And I think that will put him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. … I want him to be great and in the Hall of Fame, because if he’s in the Hall of Fame, he’ll have done great things here in Buffalo.
“I don’t know if he’ll be the greatest Bill of all, because I think Bruce Smith is the greatest Buffalo Bill of all time. For Josh to unseat him would be hard. But give him a couple MVPs and a Super Bowl, and I’ll think he’ll do it.”
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The 59-year-old Thomas and his wife, Patti, now run a construction business called the 34 Group. Fittingly, the 34 Group is involved with the new Highmark Stadium, which is being built next to the current, 52-year-old facility. Expected to be completed in 2026, the new stadium will seat 62,000 fans. Thurman’s company has the contract to install all the seats.
Thomas spoke to me courtesy of Carhartt, with whom he partnered to create a short film called “Making the Stadium Possible” to honor tradespeople working on the project.
“We highlight the unsung heroes that are doing the work over there,” Thomas said. “We want to feature the backbone of that, and that is the men and women who are over there doing these jobs week in and week out.”
During his 13-year NFL career, including 12 with the Bills, Thomas got the job done week in and week out in the backfield. One of the many things that he appreciates about Allen is the 29-year-old quarterback’s ability to make defenses pay by running the football. Last season, Allen had 531 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
“What makes him dangerous is he’s 6-4, 240 pounds, and he can hurdle you,” Thomas told me. “He has great speed for a guy that big, and he’s not afraid of contact. Once you get him outside of that pocket, that’s when he becomes dangerous — because he can run for a 40-yard touchdown and nobody would even touch him. Or he can throw it 60 yards down the field on the run.
“Remember when Tom Brady first started going to Super Bowls and winning? I mean, you couldn’t name three receivers that he had in the first Super Bowl. … Josh Allen has figured out the game, and I want to see that progress this year because, basically, he has the same wide receivers that he had last year. And are those numbers going to go up? I think they will.”
While Thomas sees a Gold Jacket in Allen’s future, he doesn’t believe the rest of Buffalo’s roster quite stacks up to those of the great Buffalo teams of the 1990s.
“We were more balanced back then,” Thomas said. “But I think they have the ability to run now because of Josh and James Cook, who has done a good job running the football the past few years. Our defense was a little bit better than in the last couple years. And that No. 1 factor is Bruce Smith.”
Thomas ran for more than 12,000 yards in his career, was named All-Pro five times and was the NFL MVP in 1991. (Andy Lyons/Allsport)
Thomas expects even bigger things this season from Cook, who recently signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension, which includes $30 million in guaranteed money. Cook, 25, ran for more than 1,000 yards in 2024 and finished with a league-high 16 rushing touchdowns.
“I will say this to the day that I die: In the AFC Championship Game against Kansas City, I thought he was the best player on the football field, even with the limited touches that he had,” Thomas said. “I hope his percentage goes up to where he can make a lot more plays. I would love to see that out of him this year. He got a nice contract, so I hope he’s expecting himself to do a little bit more. I’m excited for him.”
What would excite Thomas the most is if the Bills move into their new stadium next year as reigning Super Bowl champions.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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