Where Josh Allen ranks among NFL QB contracts after Jared Goff extension

It’s hard to call a contract that earns someone $43 million a year a “bargain,” but the descriptor seems apt when compared to Josh Allen’s.

The NFL’s quarterback contract hierarchy was further altered Monday night when the Detroit Lions reportedly agreed to terms on a four-year, $212 million deal with veteran signal-caller Jared Goff. The deal, which includes a guaranteed $170 million, will make the 29-year-old the highest-paid player in Lions history and see him usurp Los Angeles Chargers passer Justin Herbert as second highest paid quarterback in the NFL. , according to CBS Sports, at $53 million per year. Only Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow ($55 million per year) will make more money per year than Goff.

No one questions the talent of these players or their importance to their respective franchises; That said, $50 million per year, or about 20 percent of a team’s salary cap, is a lot of change. All three passers earn significantly more per year than Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who, while almost universally considered one of the league’s best passers, is only the tenth highest-paid signal-caller per year with 43 million dollars.

This seems like a more than fair arrangement from Buffalo’s perspective.

Allen originally signed his current contract in the summer of 2021, a six-year extension worth up to $258 million with a then-NFL record $150 million in guarantees. The deal was expected to make Allen the second-highest paid quarterback in the league at $43 million per year, behind Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes at $45 million per year.

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The deal was considered a bit risky for the Bills at the time; Although Allen was coming off a breakout season in which he earned second-team All-Pro honors and finished second in NFL MVP voting, his breakout campaign came after a year of pretty lousy rookie and a rocky sophomore outing. The contract was an example of Buffalo trying to get a head start, locking Allen into a long-term deal not only before cementing itself as one of the NFL’s elite, but before the market of quarterbacks does not turn into a bubble.

It was wise to do so.

Allen would not only cement himself as one of the best quarterbacks, but players, in the championship, leading Buffalo to three more consecutive victories in the AFC East since signing his extension. He recently put together his fourth straight season with 40 or more total touchdowns; no player in NFL history had previously accomplished this feat.

The 27-year-old is not only the centerpiece of Buffalo’s team on the field, but also a regional folk hero, a cultural icon who pulled the Bills from the depths of NFL irrelevance and helped to attract the attention of the general public to the team and the region. .

And the Bills enjoy those benefits while Allen is paid as the tenth-highest paid quarterback in the NFL.

Most experts and generally logical people would tell you that Allen is certainly better than his position in the gunslingers’ contract hierarchy suggests, but the quarterback market isn’t necessarily indicative of the quality of a passer, but even more so from the state of the market at the time he signed the extension. Look at the aforementioned Mahomes, for example; Most would agree that the three-time Super Bowl champion is not only the best quarterback in the league, but also one of the most talented signal-callers in NFL history. He is currently the ninth-highest paid quarterback in the NFL in terms of average annual salary, behind Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson and Kirk Cousins.

“Bargain” seems like an apt word to describe Allen and Mahomes’ contracts.

It’s probably only a matter of time before the top two smugglers want to take advantage of the refreshed market and reset it themselves; until then, the Bills will continue to benefit from paying, at worst, a top-three quarterback as the tenth highest-paid passer in football.