Josh Allen has come a long way from his humble beginnings as a quarterback who worked on the farm and played for a small high school team. He made it through college and then to the NFL without any D1 scholarship offers while leaving high school. Allen, surely, has made it large now with his new deal.
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He has signed a six-year, $330 million contract extension with the Buffalo Bills, making him the first NFL player to secure a deal worth over $300 million. The new deal gives Allen an average of $55 million per year — an upgrade from his previous six-year, $258 million contract signed in 2021.
Despite the historic total value, Allen still didn’t become the league’s highest-paid quarterback. As the reigning league MVP, he could have pushed for $7 to 8 million more annually but chose not to, just like last time.
Back in 2021, he could have demanded more than Patrick Mahomes and become the highest-paid QB. But he opted for a slightly lower paycheck and a team-friendly deal. There is a reason Allen chose to do that — not just once, but twice.
Allen believed the money he was getting was enough. He didn’t need to be the highest-paid player to live a full and meaningful life. In his eyes, if he couldn’t thrive on the money he was already making, then there was something fundamentally wrong with the way he was living.
Allen’s mindset wasn’t driven by greed or status. Instead, it was rooted in contentment and perspective. He knew what mattered most — and it wasn’t the paycheck.
“I don’t need anymore. If I can’t live on what they’re paying me, something is very wrong,” seems to have been his philosophy, as Dr Phil put it on The Real Story.
In 2020, Mahomes signed a massive 10-year, $450 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. The deal included a $10 million signing bonus, $141.4 million guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $45 million. A year later, in 2021, Josh Allen signed a 6-year extension worth $258 million, with an average salary of $43 million.
While Mahomes has yet to sign a new deal since then, the Buffalo Bills didn’t wait around. This offseason, they rewarded their league MVP with another major extension.
Allen inked a new 6-year contract which includes a $56.7 million signing bonus, $250 million guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $55 million — making him one of the highest-paid players in NFL history.
It’s a remarkable leap for someone who once had to rely on homemade highlight tapes and relentless letters just to get noticed by a college program.
Allen didn’t get a D1 scholarship coming out of high school
Allen was always a freak athlete, even back in school. He attended Firebaugh High School, tucked away in California’s San Joaquin Valley, right in the heart of farm country.
It wasn’t a big school, nor was it on the radar of college scouts, surrounded as it was by endless fields and farmlands. That’s where the future MVP played football, all while balancing the responsibilities of helping on his family’s farm between practice sessions.
Coming from a tight-knit farming community, Allen didn’t abandon his roots to chase his NFL dreams at a bigger school. He believed that if success was meant for him, it would find him right where he was.
That loyalty and grounded mindset, however, came at a cost — he got very little media attention, and scouts rarely made the trip out to see him play.
So what did he do instead of complaining? He got to work. Allen recorded tapes of his performances and mailed them out to colleges, along with countless handwritten letters. Still, a Division I scholarship didn’t materialize, and he had to take the longer route — starting his journey at a Junior College (JUCO).
“Even though he was a pretty good QB, nobody saw him. He didn’t get a lot of attention. So he took it upon himself and he sent out literally hundreds of letters and highlight tapes,” Dr. Phil narrated.
“That means he sat down, put these things together, made these tapes, and sent them to everybody and everywhere. Not one Division 1 scholarship offer came in. Enrolled at a junior college and did pretty well. This is a quality athlete,” he added.
However, hard work paid off. After two years in JUCO, the University of Wyoming came calling, and he grabbed that opportunity with both hands. The rest is history.
It’s hard not to root for a feel-good story like Allen’s — and even harder not to root for the man himself. His journey is a testament to what hard work, humility, and persistence can achieve.
Allen embodies everything a great athlete should be. Because in the end, talent alone doesn’t take you to the top — character does the heavy lifting.
It’s been incredible to watch good things come his way: a league MVP title, a record-breaking contract, a beautiful fiancée, and the admiration of fans across the NFL. He has checked almost every box.
The only thing left now? A Super Bowl ring.
