The NFL quarterback market has been trending in a lavish direction for some time, with the 2024 offseason perhaps serving as the position’s most financially fruitful in recent memory; five starting signal-callers signed mega-contracts with either their current or new clubs in the offseason, with three quarterbacks now making an average of $55 million per season.
Is Jared Goff, the league’s fifth-highest-paid passer, better than Patrick Mahomes, who is the NFL’s 11th-highest-paid quarterback? No; he just signed his contract at a more lucrative time.That’s what makes conversations about the quarterback market so difficult, as it’s not necessarily a ranking of talent or ability, but more so a snapshot of the financial status of the league at any given time.
Public opinion on the Buffalo passer, who has earned NFL MVP votes in three out of the last four seasons, is surprisingly mixed, but any pundit or fan who is worth listening to would tell you that Allen is better than the 13th-best quarterback in football. His placement in the quarterback contract hierarchy can be attributed to the already-explored explanations, but at the end of the day, Allen—given his production and value—is not currently being paid in line with the market.
Allen—who is not only the crown jewel of the Buffalo roster, but a regional icon—knows his worth, and he’s confident that, when his time comes again, Bills general manager Brandon Beane will pay him in line with the rest of his quarterback brethren. When his next extension will ultimately come is currently unknown; his deal is set to expire after the 2028 NFL season, and one could assume an extension will be reached well before that date.