ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) — The highest-paid player in Buffalo Bills history doesn't envy the pocketbooks of his quarterback peers.
While the $258 million contract extension Josh Allen agreed to in 2021 once provided him the second-largest annual salary among NFL players, more recent mega-deals for rival quarterbacks have dropped the Bills star closer to the middle of the pack.
Entering the fourth season of his eight-year pact, Allen's $43 million average value currently slots 13th in the league, and the $95 million he's scheduled to be paid over the coming three seasons ranks 20th, according to Spotrac.
After consecutive seasons finishing in the top five on MVP ballots, Allen's star has risen to a level where he is generally regarded among the very best quarterbacks in the league. Yet despite his falling salary stature, Allen brushed off a suggestion that he is now underpaid.
"Listen, everyone's going to have their day. I'm happy that everyone's getting what they're worth, right?" Allen said after the Bills practice on Tuesday. "And I think that as the game progresses and guys keep getting paid, the market is the market.
"I've got no problem with where I'm at right now," Allen added. "And, you know what, I had my day a couple years ago, and I'm sure someday I'll have it again.
"But I think the main thing is the main thing, and that's playing football to the best of my ability, and everything else will take care of itself."
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.