The biggest NFL contract handed out by any team during the first week of free agency didn’t even involve a free agent. Nope, that biggest contract was signed by Josh Allen, who landed a record-breaking six-year, $330 million deal from the Buffalo Bills.
The contract includes $250 million in guaranteed money, which is the most given to any player in NFL history, topping the $230 million guarantee that the Cleveland Browns gave to Deshaun Watson. Although Allen set a new benchmark with his guaranteed money, his deal won’t make him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL based on average annual value.
Allen’s new contract is worth an average of $55 million per year, which puts him behind Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who is making an average of $60 million per year, which is the highest in the NFL.
Allen is coming off an MVP season where he just led the Bills to an AFC title game for the second time in five seasons, so he could have almost certainly convinced the Bills to give him a contract that topped Prescott’s number if that’s what he wanted, but apparently, that’s not what he wanted.
During an interview on Wednesday, Allen said he decided to take a slightly team-friendly deal because he wanted to give the Bills some salary cap flexibility since the team’s Super Bowl window is currently wide open.
“I wasn’t looking to absolutely kill them at every chance I could, and I told my agent that,” Allen said, via NFL.com. “I was like, if it has any impact on the cap, let’s figure out a way to not do that. Both sides were willing to move and change different things and it was a pretty calm-mannered negotiation is what I can say from both sides.”
Although getting $55 million per year might not seem team-friendly, it definitely it is. With the QB market always going up, Allen’s number will likely be a bargain by the second or third year of his new contract. Currently, he’s tied with Joe Burrow, Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence for the title of second-highest paid quarterback.
Allen probably could have reached Prescott’s $60 million per year number, but tacking on another $5 million per year just wasn’t something he was interested in.
“It’s weird to say this, but what is $5 [million] more going to do for my life that I can’t already do right now,” Allen said. “It’s not that crazy to me. I live a pretty good life: Got a house, got a car, we’re good.”
Tom Brady was a famous for taking slightly below market deals to help his teams win and it appears that Allen has decided to utilize the same strategy. Allen said he wants to play his entire career in Buffalo and based on how things have gone so far, the Bills would probably be thrilled if that happens.
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Author: John Breech
March 13, 2025 | 1:20 pm
