It didn’t seem all that likely in April 2018, but it’s very possible that the Buffalo Bills came away with the premier quarterback prize of that year’s NFL Draft.
At that juncture, University of Wyoming prospect Josh Allen was the largest wild card of the group, which included Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield (Lamar Jackson was projected to go later in the first round).
Allen had all the physical tools a team would want in a quarterback, but did not play against the level of competition that the other three did.
It has worked out just fine for the Bills, as Allen has gotten better each season, punctuated by his 37 touchdown campaign a year ago.
Because of his impressive ascent, Buffalo is back in the conversation to make the Super Bowl for the first time in about 25 years.
They also decided to cut out the drama and pay Allen a large fortune.
Compensation update on Josh Allen new deal that @mortreport reported on: it’s a six-year deal worth $258 million, including $150 million guaranteed, per source. https://t.co/KXcgliKYAI
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 6, 2021
Bills Smart To Lock Allen In Immediately
Conventional wisdom for any employer would dictate that paying an employee before it’s required is not always the best business practice.
Any number of things can happen before that deadline that could change the tenor of the negotiation.
In the case of NFL football, injuries play a pivotal role in determining whether a player’s career is successful or not.
In this particular case though, Buffalo was smart to lock in their franchise guy.
As Bills fans can certainly attest, they have not had a franchise-level quarterback on the team as young player entering his prime since the days of Jim Kelly.
Kelly retired from the NFL in 1996, and the franchise spent 22 years trying to find someone to build their team around at the most important position.
The team shouldn’t have necessarily been desperate to extend Allen due to previous regime’s failures, but they should be appreciative of how challenging it can be to find a player of Allen’s potential.
His new deal proves that is the case.
Unfortunately for teams, but fortunately for talented players, positional compensation expectations are seemingly reset almost every year.
This means that if player A is up for a contract in year one, and similarly talented player B is up for a contract in year two, player B almost always will receive a little more than player A.
Josh Allen’s new deal now will average $43 million a year.
QBs next up for new deals – Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield – have to be quite happy. https://t.co/k3cU3H3e9C
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 6, 2021
This pattern has certainly followed in the case of the quarterback market.
Things took an extreme turn after the Kansas City Chiefs offered superstar signal-caller Patrick Mahomes his monster extension; his deal didn’t barely reset the market, it completely blew it up.
As a result, it’s unlikely future quarterback extensions will exceed his in terms of total money, but the compensation level for the secondary tier of quarterbacks should continue to follow the traditional pattern.
Allen getting $150 million guaranteed shows it is a great time to be a young, NFL quarterback in need of a new deal.
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