Did Bills' Josh Allen Play Role In Jaguars' Josh Allen Name Change?
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen officially changed his name, according to a social media post by the Pro Bowler.
He wants to honor his family with the name change, but it's hard not to wonder if sharing a name with Buffalo Bills star quarterback Josh Allen played a role in the decision.
The Jaguars' defender officially changed his name to "Joshua Hines-Allen," which clearly distinguishes him from the Bills QB.
"I've always been a Hines and legacy is forever," Hines-Allen said in a pre-produced video posted to his X (formerly Twitter) account.
"Family is important to me because when you come from a rich history of athletic people… it was almost destined for me to follow in their footsteps."
Josh Allen and Joshua Hines-Allen have always been linked by their shared name and both players are Pro Bowlers.
The Bills drafted Josh Allen with the 7th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and the Jaguars selected Joshua Hines-Allen with the 7th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
It's hard to imagine that sharing a name with a player who overshadows you didn't play at least some role in the name change, but there are certainly other reasons why Hines-Allen made the switch.
Jacksonville Jaguars defender Josh Allen officially changed his name to Josh Hines-Allen; was part of the reason because of the Bills QB?
(USA Today Sports)
His sister, Myisha Hines-Allen, plays in the WNBA and uses a hyphenated last name that represents both her mother (Kim Hines, now Kim Allen) and father (Robert Allen).
His uncle, mentioned in the video, is Gregory Hines. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 1983 after starring at Hampton University, but he never played in an NBA game.
It makes sense for Hines-Allen to have the same name as his sister and the story about honoring his family is perfectly reasonable.
Still, it's not crazy to think that if Bills QB Josh Allen didn't exist, maybe defensive end Joshua Hines-Allen would still be Josh Allen.