Due to signing his deal two years ago, Josh Allen’s contract may not be something casual fans remember due to recency bias. Regardless, Allen has Buffalo sitting with a 7-2 record in the AFC. He’s thrown only two interceptions on the year, racking up 20 total TDs (17 passing). The Bills escaped with a 30-27 win over the Miami Dolphins off the heels of a 61-yard field goal from Tyler Bass as time expired.
Regardless of the game’s result, Allen’s spot in the hierarchy of NFL quarterbacks wasn’t in question. Before, during, and after the game, Allen is among the top-five quarterbacks in the league. Looking at how he’s paid relative to that spot, however, reveals another story. Conventional thinking points to Patrick Mahomes being the richest of NFL quarterbacks, but that’s not the case.
Josh Allen’s Contract With Buffalo Making Other NFL Teams Look Foolish in 2024
The highest-paid NFL signal-caller is Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys. He’s taken Dallas to the playoffs more than once but never advanced further than the divisional round. After a quiet off-season in terms of free-agent signings, Dallas ranks in the bottom of the NFC. The Cowboys record is only better than the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and New York Giants.
Prescott will miss the next few weeks with a hamstring injury and could land on IR. On the eve of Week 1, Prescott and the Cowboys agreed to a four-year extension worth $240 million, or $60 million a year, making him the top-paid quarterback in the league. After focusing on two big deals in the off-season, Dallas will be in a tougher position to improve after this year, especially with a Micah Parsons deal on the horizon.
Everybody Wants Some
The top five paid quarterbacks are as follows:
- Dak Prescott, Dallas – $60 million
- T-2, Joe Burrow, Cinncinatti – $55 million
- T-2, Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville – $55 million
- T-2, Jordan Love, Green Bay – $55 million
- Tua Tagovailoa, Miami – $53.1 million
Jared Goff (6th, $53 million), Justin Herbert (7th, $52.5 million), Lamar Jackson (8th, $52 million), and Jalen Hurts (9th, $51 million) round out the stars making over $50 million a year.
Allen’s current deal falls into the back end of the next tier of quarterbacks. The Arizona Cardinals Kyler Murray is the 10th highest-paid signal-caller at $46.1. The rest of the top 15 plays out below:
- 11. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland, $46 million,
- T-12. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City, $45 million
- T-12. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta, $45 million
- 14. Josh Allen, Buffalo, $43 million
Daniel Jones and Matthew Stafford round out the top 15 at $40 million each per year. The willingness to overpay for quarterback services regardless of sustained success forced many owners to shell out big bucks to their quarterbacks. Of those in the Top 15, only Mahomes and Stafford have won Super Bowls.
Hurts, Burrow, and Goff are the only others to even make a Super Bowl. Due to keeping up with the market, players possess more leverage than ever. Owners would rather overpay a t0p 20 signal caller simply to keep the slot filled rather than not pay the star and start the search over from scratch.
When Allen inked his deal three years ago, his contract was among the top in the NFL. Despite seeing his contemporaries routinely get more money with each passing deal, Allen wasn’t fazed by the moves. The MVP candidate even said as much over the summer, claiming that “everyone will have their day” and that he’ll “have it again” someday.
His deal has allowed Buffalo the flexibility to add the pieces it needs (Amari Cooper, Von Miller) over the last two years to go even further in the post-season. Cleveland, however, imploded this year and is now in selling mode halfway through the 2024 season.
How Allen has Bucked the Trend of Superstar Players
Every quarterback on the list has made the playoffs but some have had more success than others. Allen and Jackson probably fill out the top three list of top-ranked quarterbacks, falling behind Mahomes. Both made deep runs in the playoffs but fell to Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Others, however, haven’t even played near the money they were paid. Daniel Jones made the playoffs once but hasn’t played consistently well throughout his career. The Giants are one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Cleveland Browns signed Watson to a controversial extension that made him the highest-paid quarterback in the league when the deal was made two years ago.
Watson looked lost in 2024 and will miss the rest of the 2024 season again due to a season-ending ACL injury. Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love have one really good season on their resumes but questions outside of that year. Love does have the Green Bay Packers at 6-3 in the ultra-competitive NFC North despite missing time with various ailments this season.
How an owner decides to pay their quarterback is an imperfect science. Some want to keep up with the market and keep the spot filled even if their selection hasn’t provided more than one season of proof of being worthy of such a deal. Allen had a track record of success before his deal and is currently in the Dan Marino mode of great quarterback who’s missing a Super Bowl appearance/win on his resume.
While the Bills signed Josh Allen’s contract three years ago, the market shifted greatly in those three years. His deal has turned into a bargain for the Pegulas and Buffalo. If he leads the Bills to the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl, that conversation will be had once again and he may move up the list. Until then, his deal allows the team to sign and re-sign players it needs to finally get over the hump.
Main Photo Courtesy of Mark Konezny – Imagn Images
