The Bills retired Jim Kelly's No. 12 jersey in 2001 and they will officially retire the No. 78 worn by defensive end Bruce Smith in a halftime ceremony during their Sept. 15 opener against the New York Jets.
The retirement of Thurman Thomas' No. 34 is expected to follow, and in addition to Nos. 12, 78 and 34, the Bills have also kept No. 32 out of circulation since O.J. Simpson's final season in Buffalo in 1977.
Those four Bills players are all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and few would argue that any discussion about the best player in franchise history would include that quartet and only a few others.