Josh Allen On Extension: “We’ll Cross The Bridge When We Get There”

Last season, the Buffalo Bills reached the AFC Championship for the first time since the 1993 campaign. It was in large thanks to quarterback Josh Allen, who guided the franchise to their first division title since 1995. Allen, 24, finished last season with a career-high in passing yards (4,544), touchdowns (37), and QBR (81.7). His 39 total touchdowns in a single season and 21 consecutive games with a touchdown were both franchise records.

Leading up to the 2021 season, extension talks have not distracted the former seventh overall selection from the 2018 NFL Draft.

“Honestly, I love playing football. I want to listen and be engaged in the contract talks, but ultimately that’s why you pay your agents,” Allen said. “They’ll iron out the details and if we get to something soon, I’d love to be locked down in Buffalo for a very long time. 

“It’s a place that I call home. I love being there, I love the fanbase, I love the city. Everything I want is there. If they called up and wanted to talk tomorrow, I’d be willing. We’ll cross the bridge when we get there.”

As previously reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bills and Allen have been expected to agree to a long-term extension this offseason. The deal is projected to make Allen one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league. Following this season, Buffalo will have a $23 million team option on Allen for the 2022 campaign.

At this time, the Kansas City Chiefs have made Patrick Mahomes the highest-paid quarterback with a $45 million annual salary. This offseason, the Dallas Cowboys paid Dak Prescott with a $40 million annual salary.

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane has expressed interest in retaining Allen on a long-term extension, as reported back in February.

“Josh is a guy that we do believe in and we would definitely take a look at him later this offseason,” Beane said. “Right now, we’ll focus on our upcoming free agents, plus anybody we want to add, and then the draft.”

“Generally, what I’ve done here is look at guys to extend once we get through the draft, see what our money is like, see how we could structure it to fit not only this year, but the years beyond.”