KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On the gridiron, Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are in the midst of one of the most exciting rivalries in football, but off the field, Allen said their relationship is not what some may think.

“He’s awesome. He really is. Love being around him,” Allen said on The Steam Room podcast with NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and legendary broadcaster Ernie Johnson.

Fans and national sports analysts have enjoyed the fruits of the incredible matchups between the two young gunslingers since their first matchup in 2020.

Despite Mahomes’ 3-1 lead in the all-time series, including two wins in the playoffs, Allen said off the field, they have spent a lot of time together.

The most recent meeting between the Bills and Chiefs came in the AFC Divisional Round in Kansas City. The high octane showdown ended in an overtime win for Mahomes when he found his tight end, Travis Kelce, in the end zone after winning the coin toss.

AFC Divisional Round stats

  • Patrick Mahomes
    • Passing – 33/44, 378 yards, 3 touchdowns
    • Rushing – 7 attempts, 69 yards, 1 touchdown
  • Josh Allen
    • Passing – 27/37, 329 yards, 4 touchdowns
    • Rushing – 11 attempts, 68 yards

“When we step on that field, we’re supposed to be competitors. It’s the old mantra of you’ve got to hate your enemy, you know?” Allen said. “But I would say we have a really good relationship, especially for the type of games that we tend to play in.”

Allen said he and Mahomes have spent time together on several occasions, most recently in Miami at the F1 race.

“We were both at Miami this weekend at F1, we were kind of texting to see if we were there,” he said. “Saturday night he FaceTimes me and he’s like, ‘Come here.’” Allen said. “Sure enough, we hung out for an hour-and-a-half, two hours just kind of hanging around talking, having a good time.”

Mahomes and Allen are considered two of the top signal callers in the league and it is likely we will see more matchups in the future, including a 2022 regular season matchup when the Bills visit the Chiefs once again.

The Chiefs and Bills remain favorites to be crowned AFC Champions, with odds-makers giving Buffalo the advantage heading into the season.

Despite the budding rivalry, the young rivals will be teaming up against a pair of veteran rivals, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, in Capital One’s “The Match”, a celebrity golf tournament, on June 1 in Las Vegas.

“Every time I’m around him he’s just a great dude, he’s a great personality, he’s fun to be around,” Allen said. “Obviously, all the respect that I have for him on the field. I think it’s a different vibe from what people think.”