Josh Allen’s $330M Deal: Fans Call It an Overpayment, Point to His Playoff Record vs. Patrick Mahomes and 0 Super Bowl Rings

The NFL’s legal tampering period – the unofficial start of free agency – doesn’t begin until 12:00 p.m. E.T. tomorrow. If that’s the main course of the league’s offseason activities, we’ve been treated to an incredible appetizer this weekend.

On Friday, the Las Vegas Raiders knocked over the first domino in the quarterback market by trading for Geno Smith. Since then, we’ve seen a superstar defensive end and countless linebackers ink contract extensions. Now, the NFL’s reigning MVP has gotten in on the fun.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen have agreed to a new, record-setting deal. Allen, who signed a six-year, $258 million pact with Buffalo in 2021, will now make $330 million across the next half-dozen years. He’s tied to the Bills through 2030.

Allen’s annual salary ($55 million) puts him in a four-way tie with Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love for the second-highest mark in NFL history. His $330 million overall value is the second-biggest amount in NFL history, behind only Patrick Mahomes’ $450 million contract, signed in 2020. This, presumably, is an appropriate range for him to reside in. However, some fans have an issue with his new deal.

No, Allen’s deal did not break the previous high-water lines for AAV (average annual value) or total value. That said, it is still record-setting. Buffalo guaranteed a whopping $250 million of Allen’s contract. That figure catapults him above DeShaun Watson ($230 million) for the largest in NFL history.

Allen has been everything Bills Mafia hoped he’d be since arriving as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He has won 69.1% of his regular season starts (76-34) and led Buffalo to five consecutive AFC East titles. Before he became the Bills’ franchise quarterback, Buffalo hadn’t won a division crown since 1995.

Allen has also been a strong playoff performer. He has thrown for 3,359 yards in 13 postseason starts, with 25 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. Allen has another 668 yards and seven scores as a rusher.

Despite this, he has never reached the Super Bowl. And the reason why is (mostly) one man: Patrick Mahomes. Allen is 0-4 against Mahomes – and the Kansas City Chiefs – in his postseason career, but 7-2 versus everyone else. He may be the second-best quarterback in the NFL, but fans think this deal is excessive because he hasn’t beaten Mahomes or won the Lombardi Trophy.

Even if a failed QB sneak contributed to Buffalo’s 2024 AFC Championship loss to Kansas City, you can’t blame Allen for the Bills routinely coming up short when facing the Chiefs. He has often played an incredible role in losing efforts. Buffalo is understandably confident that he’ll break through and take them to the Super Bowl one day.

Will that happen next season? Nobody can say for certain. The AFC is incredibly stout at the top beyond Kansas City. But odds are that Allen will play for a league championship for the Bills in the future. And when he does, Buffalo’s front office and fanbase won’t care how much money they gave him. You can’t put a price on the Lombardi Trophy.