Surface level: Bills quarterback Josh Allen will be in Buffalo for a very long time.
Beneath it, we have some layers to unpack in regard to the new six-year extension Allen signed with the Bills on Friday.
Here are seven things to know from Allen’s new deal with the Bills:
Another one
Bills general manager Brandon Beane. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Aside from linebacker Matt Milano, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane has gotten extensions done with key players on the Bills sooner rather than later. Both cornerback Tre’Davious White and left tackle Dion Dawkins signed extensions with the Bills just before the start of the regular season.
Allen becomes the latest.
Another layer
Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) shakes hands with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Another layer to the Bills signing Allen quickly is getting that deal done before the Ravens and Browns signed quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield, respectively, to extensions.
All three players were drafted in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft and need long-term deals. Whoever got theirs first would benefit the team the most.
That’s because now Allen’s extension will be the measuring stick for the others, instead of visa versa. Makes negotiating a deal more team-friendly… or at least a bit easier.
Other comps
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, left, greets Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Allen is now paid like an elite quarterback in the NFL so he’s going to have to play like that from here on out. Allen’s deal puts him No. 2 overall in terms of average salary amongst all QBs:
Highest #NFL Average Salary
1. Patrick Mahomes, $45M
2. Josh Allen, $43M
3. Dak Prescott, $40M
4. Deshaun Watson, $39M
5. Russell Wilson, $35Mhttps://t.co/y7AXD1FWvH— Spotrac (@spotrac) August 6, 2021
Upping the ante: Allen did get the most guaranteed dollars in NFL history in his contract.
A two-year window
Bills quarterback Josh Allen,left, talks with general manager Brandon Beane. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
The clock is (kind of) ticking now for the Bills.
Over the course of the next two years, Allen’s average salary will not be $43M. Instead, Allen’s playing on the final year of his base rookie contract, plus the fifth-year option in 2022.
That option, picked up by the Bills earlier this offseason, sees Allen’s earnings jump up to near $23M. That’s a big increase from around the $6M salary Allen has this year… but it’s not $43M.
After these next two seasons, the Bills will have to hope the salary cap goes way up. Allen will be using up a sizeable chunk of the team’s salary cap which is currently allocated to other areas of the team.
Age lens
Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
As of August 2020, Allen is signing a long-term deal to play nearly all of his NFL career with the Bills. Currently 25, Allen will be a free agent at 32-years-old if he plays out his entire contract.
First off, we don’t know the full details of Allen’s extension just yet. There could be team or player option which voids years on it at the end, it could be restructured down the road, he could even be cut before then. A lot of things could happen.
Bare minimum, if Allen does make it that far, it’ll put him next to Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, who also played 11 years with the Bills, in terms of career length.
Of course, Allen could easily top that with the way Tom Brady is going, whether it be in Buffalo or elsewhere…
Longer than McBeane
Bills general manager Brandon Beane has a word with quarterback Josh Allen. Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
We mentioned some of Allen’s teammates are now signed for the next couple of years. But also worth noting: Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Bean signed extensions as well… Allen’s extention is actually even longer than theirs.
Both front office members are inked through the 2025 season. Allen is through 2028. They were both six-year deals at the time, though.
Who's next?
Bills middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Like Allen, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds was not a pending free agent of the Bills. His fifth-year option was also already picked up so he is under contract through the 2022 season.
But also like the QB, Edmunds is probably in-line for a long-term extension that’ll pay him big.
So in posing who could be up next after Allen signed? Edmunds would be the top pick and there’s also Stefon Diggs to consider, who is signed through 2023.
