After signing for the most guaranteed money in NFL history, Josh Allen took care of the Bills GM
The Buffalo Bills rewarded quarterback Josh Allen this offseason by providing him with a six-year extension worth $330 million, including $250 million guaranteed.
Over the next four years, Allen will receive more money than any other quarterback in history, collecting $220 million. That is $1 more than what Dak Prescott will make in the first four years of his deal. The breakdown of what Allen’s annual cash flow looks like through 2030:
2025: $58 million 2026: $55 million ($113 million total) 2027: $53 million ($166 million total) 2028: $54 million ($220 million total) 2029: $52.5 million ($272.5 million total) 2030: $56.5 million ($329 million total)
Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
A TEAM FRIENDLY DEAL
Despite the contract breaking records with the most guaranteed money ever given in the NFL, the average annual value was fairly reasonable. Allen counts $41.3 million against the salary cap in 2025. According to Spotrac, that annual cap hit number grows to $61.3 million in 2026, $58.1 million in 2027, and $64.3 million in 2028.
Allen acknowledged that he wanted his new deal to be reasonable to assist the Bills in affording additional free agents, stating, “I know I was kind of sitting there just like I understood the impact of getting an extension done, creating some cap space. It’s kind of a weird situation where it’s like I’ve had a big contract before, and it doesn’t really change how I lived in my life. I know that this opens up some space for cap and signing some free agents. I think we’ve been having a pretty good free agent run so far.”
Bleacher Report even acknowledged it as a fairly reasonable deal for the Bills: “Allen’s contract is ultimately a team-friendly one—he surely could have commanded more per year in wake of winning his first NFL MVP award.”
Jul 28, 2021; Orchard Park, NY, United States; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has a word with quarterback Josh Allen / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Allen’s Gift To Thank Beane: Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon
During Allen’s tenure with the Buffalo Bills, General Manager Brandon Beane has rewarded Allen with a rookie deal and two extensions totaling over $500 million dollars.
After signing his first extension in 2021 for a generous $250 million, Beane recently told Buffalo Bills radio announcer and former center Eric Wood, that Allen did NOT give Beane a gift.
Wood: “Does he send you a gift, a bottle of wine or a bottle of Bourbon after a deal like this is done?”
Beane: “The first time…he did not.”
Given that Bills GM Brandon Beane rewarded Allen with the largest guaranteed deal in league history, did Allen feel it was necessary to thank Beane this time around?
Beane: “He did send me something nice this time…so I appreciate it. He sent me some Pappy’s, so it was good.”
Pappys refers to Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve bourbon from the “Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery” company. It is distilled and bottled by the Sazerac Company at its Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky.
After signing the record-breaking extension, the two shared a drink together, but from opposite ends of the country. Beane shared with Wood that “[Allen] was on the west coast and I was on the east coast, so he dabbled from there, and I dabbled from my house.”