Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen got another big payday, but the reigning NFL MVP wasn't looking to reset the market. Instead, he hoped his new deal would open up salary cap space in the short term so that the Bills could go shopping.
"I wasn't looking to absolutely kill them at every chance I could, and I told my agent that," he said Wednesday. "I was like, if it has any impact on the cap, let's figure out a way to not do that. Both sides were willing to move and change different things and it was a pretty calm-mannered negotiation is what I can say from both sides."
Allen's six-year, $330 million extension, which included $250 million guaranteed, puts him second among quarterbacks with a $55 million-per-year average, tied with Joe Burrow, Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence. He sits behind Dak Prescott's $60 million annual average.
"It's weird to say this, but what is $5 million more going to do for my life that I can't already do right now. It's not that crazy to me," Allen said. "I was like, if it has any impact on the cap, let's figure out a way to not do that."
Allen's contract reportedly takes up 19.7% of the team's total cap, ranking 13th.
It's nothing new for extensions to push down the cap number by spreading it to other seasons. It's a mechanism that every team uses to save immediate space and push the bloated cap figures to future years to be dealt with later. The maneuver is easy with salary cap projections continuing to climb.
The extension and other moves, like releasing Von Miller, freed up enough space to add the likes of defensive end Joey Bosa and wide receiver Josh Palmer in free agency and extend wide receiver Khalil Shakir, linebacker Terrel Bernard and defensive end Gregory Rousseau to long-term deals.
With an MVP award on his shelf and new money in his pocket, Allen is chasing the one thing that's eluded him thus far: a Lombardi Trophy.
"An 8-year-old me would obviously be just as pumped as a 28-year-old me. I think it's the only thing I've ever wanted to do in my life is play football. Now, I get to continue to do it. That's the main thing. Going out there and playing the best football that I can. In no way does this mean I need to stop working hard or stop getting better. It almost promotes more of that for me," Allen said. "I've got to continue to get better and find ways to help this team get over that hump and win a Super Bowl. ...
"When you kind of look back at it, the only thing missing is finishing our season with a win," he added. "That's really the only thing I'm thinking about, just trying to continue to get better and find a way to bring a Lombardi Trophy to western New York."
