Josh Allen has just completed his fourth year in the NFL and signed a blockbuster new contract with the Buffalo Bills last offseason. Let’s examine the details of Allen’s contract, his impact on the Bills’ salary cap in 2022, and his reported net worth.
Josh Allen’s contract details and bonuses
Entering his fourth year in the NFL, Allen and the Bills agreed to a six-year, $258 million contract extension. Allen was entering the fourth season of his rookie contract after the Bills had exercised his fifth-year option earlier in the offseason.
Allen’s extension contains $100 million in full guarantees with $150 million guaranteed in total throughout the contract’s lifetime. Interestingly, the deal only contained $16.5 million in signing bonus initially. However, an option bonus of $42.5 million will be paid in 2022. There is also a reported $30 million in additional incentives.
The reason for using the option bonus to split the signing bonus was to keep Allen’s cap number under control in 2021. The option bonus is fully guaranteed. However, it saved the Bills from carrying an extra $8.5 million in prorated bonus money in 2021. That is because there was already $3.371 million in prorated money remaining from the rookie contract. Now that has expired from the contract, the Bills can take on more prorated money in 2022 and beyond.
Allen’s contract extension contains rolling guarantees to reach the full $150 million. His $6 million roster bonus in 2024 became fully guaranteed just after the contract was signed back in August. On the fifth day of the 2023 league year, $13.5 million of his 2024 salary — plus a $16.5 million portion of his 2025 roster bonus — became guaranteed.
Josh Allen has seven years remaining on his contract
When Allen signed the six-year extension, he was already set to be under contract through the end of the 2022 season. Therefore, including 2021, Allen was technically under contract for eight years with the Bills. With 2021 now in the books, there is a further seven years remaining on Allen’s contract.
The first year of Allen’s extension will take effect in 2023, and he is set to be a free agent in 2029. At that point, he would be 32 years old.
What impact does Allen’s deal have on the Bills’ salary cap?
The Bills have staggered the increase in Allen’s salary cap numbers through the first few years of this eight-year contract. In 2021, that number sat at just $10.202 million. That will now rise to $16.372 million in 2022.
The $16.372 million is made up of his base salary, prorated signing bonus, workout bonus, and prorated option bonus. Allen’s salary sits at just $4.1 million in the second year of the contract. There is then $500,000 in workout bonus and $3.3 million in prorated signing bonus. The option bonus that is paid out in the 2022 offseason will count for $8.472 million against the Bills’ salary cap this year and through the next five years.
What does the future of this contract look like for the Bills?
The Bills have ensured that the next two years of Allen’s contract will be cap-controlled. His salary cap figure rises to $16.4 million in 2022 before ballooning in 2023, and it’ll rise again in 2025. Here are Allen’s salary cap numbers throughout the life of the contract.
- 2021: $10.2 million
- 2022: $16.4 million
- 2023: $39.8 million
- 2024: $41.8 million
- 2025: $51.3 million
- 2026: $47 million
- 2027: $40 million
- 2028: $41.6 million
Included in the deal are roster bonuses varying from $6 million in 2024 through to $25 million in 2025, 2027, and 2028. The money through 2025 is managed with the rolling guarantee structure mentioned earlier. However, after that, no further money is set to be guaranteed — unless Allen’s contract is restructured.
The first potential out in Allen’s contract does not come until the 2026 offseason. At that point, the Bills could conceivably release Allen for just $8.472 million in dead money. However, with cap numbers of $41.772 million and $51.272 million, there is every chance we see the deal restructured between now and 2025. That would change the cost to the Bills of moving on in 2026.
Allen’s net worth
Josh Allen is still in the early stages of his NFL career, relatively speaking. His current net worth is estimated to be around $14 million. However, that number was estimated prior to Allen’s $42.5 million option bonus that will be paid out this offseason.
Prior to that option bonus, Allen had career earnings of $37.904 million. Those earnings will more than double just with that one bonus this offseason. Therefore, Allen’s net worth is likely considerably higher than that currently estimated $14 million. Additionally, Allen has reported endorsement deals with brands including Nike, Hyundai, and Microsoft Surface.