Four Super Bowls, four ‘incurable’ cancer battles, and a plethora of personal tragedies have often summarized the Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly’s life. Despite it all, he remains the same person. He smiles just as freely and likes to talk just as much; both are different than what they used to be, but he has never looked happier. Now, he has shared a final health update, encapsulating the results of his zeal for life.

“Yeah, I feel pretty good,” Kelly said during his appearance on The Rich Eisen Show. “About two months ago, I went for hopefully my last visit, having to go to New York City and do an MRI. They gave me a clean slate.”

Kelly’s fight was never a simple one.

Across 20 total surgeries, he now carries plates and screws in his back, neck, knee, abdomen, and a reconstructed jaw. And every chapter pushed the Bills’ legend to the brink:

• 2013: Jim Kelly was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a type of cancer of the upper jawbone at the age of 53. Later, the tumor was removed.
• 2014: The same cancer returned aggressively. Kelly went through weeks of chemo and radiation and was declared cancer-free in late 2014.
• 2018: At the age of 58, he had a Stage IV diagnosis of the same cancer with less than a 10 percent chance of survival. His left fibula was removed and used to rebuild the upper jaw that squamous cell carcinoma had infested. A 12-hour surgery moved arteries and blood vessels from his arm to his jaw, followed by a prosthesis with artificial teeth for the extensive jaw reconstruction.
• 2021: Diagnosed with skin cancer, he underwent two surgeries to remove lesions from his nostril and chin.
• 2025: Kelly finally came out as a fighter as the doctors declared him fully cured with a clear MRI.

“The pain Jim went through was indescribable. This nerve was destroyed by the tumor,” in 2024, Dr. Dhiren Shah, Kelly’s radiation oncologist, revealed about the NFL legend’s condition. “So, most people would quit. Jim didn’t quit.”

And that’s what Kelly has always followed. That’s what he was during his professional days.

The QB changed the Bills’ offense alongside Andre Reed. During his 11-season career, Kelly led the Bills to the playoffs eight times and snagged six AFC East titles. For six seasons, he was the NFL’s only quarterback calling most of his own plays in the Bills’ revolutionary no-huddle offense, known as the K-Gun.

In 1996, the QB decided to hang up his cleats because of injuries. Kelly’s NFL career finished with a total of 35,467 yards and 237 TDs. Though he lost four Super Bowls, losing first to the New York Giants, then the Washington Redskins (now Commanders), and twice to the Dallas Cowboys, Kelly’s impact on the team was undeniable.

Now cancer-free, Kelly has battled adversity long before his NFL days: from tearing his throwing shoulder in college to a childhood accident where a glass door sliced his neck.

But Kelly never gave up on his mantra…

“When you’re going through tough times, it’s about your attitude,” the 65-year-old said in 2020. “There are a lot of things that don’t go your way, but you’ve got to fight through them.”

As it turns out, Kelly isn’t alone in this battle. Former NFL wide receiver Deion Sanders was also diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. However, he was cancer-free after his bladder was removed. Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton has also recently undergone surgery to remove a testicular tumor detected because of the NFL’s random drug test that recorded a high HCG level, which can only occur with performance-enhancing drugs or testicular cancer.

Unfortunately, Kelly’s cancer wasn’t caught this early, nor was his son’s Krabbe disease. However, he’s proven that he learns from the past, and that’s why he is actively involved in giving back to society.

Jim Kelly beyond football

Kelly has poured his heart out into helping others. Through the Kelly for Kids Foundation, he supports disabled youth across Western New York, distributing grants and resources throughout the year.

The Hunter’s Hope Foundation, founded in 1997 after his son Hunter was diagnosed with Krabbe Leukodystrophy, funds research. This organization focuses on education and awareness, research, and family care for Leukodystrophies and Newborn Screening.

Since its inception, the Foundation has distributed nearly 5 million dollars to many local children’s charities such as Cradle Beach Camp, Kids Escaping Drugs, Ilio DiPaolo Scholarship Fund, and, of course, Jim’s son’s foundation, Hunter’s Hope, just to name a few. He has also partnered with Merck and the Your Cancer Game Plan campaign to support head and neck cancer patients.

Through it all, Kelly, 65, has remained a fixture at Bills games. However, he doesn’t want another fight…

“I might have lost four Super Bowls, but I kicked cancer’s bu*t four times. And I pray to the good Lord. I don’t have to do a fight,” Kelly said.