Josh Allen's contract seemingly lacks 2025 salary cap relief for Bills

The Buffalo Bills' negotiation with Josh Allen hasn't yielded as much salary cap room as initially thought, which is somewhat confusing to Bills Mafia

Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) and offensive tackle Spencer Brown (79) against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

It's not surprising that Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen didn't insist on setting records with his new mega contract, but it is somewhat of surprise that the deal reportedly provides only minimal salary cap relief in 2025.

The initial impression was that Allen's new contract would give the cap-strapped Bills some much-needed relief in 2025, allowing Buffalo brass to pursue difference makers in defense.

As it turns out, the Bills have cleared $3.4 million in immediate cap space through the new contract but the quarterback still counts $41.3 million in 2025. According to Spotrac, that number balloons to $61.3 million in 2026. It'll be $58.1 million in 2027 before climbing up to $64.3 million in 2028.

"I know I was kind of sitting there just like I understood the impact of getting an extension done, creating some cap space. It's kind of a weird situation where it's like I've had a big contract before, and it doesn't really change how I lived in my life. I know that this opens up some space for cap and signing some free agents. I think we've been having a pretty good free agent run so far," said Allen.

In reality though, how much flexibility did $3.4 million give the Bills? The Joey Bosa signing alone costs $12.6 million. It's not as if Allen gave Buffalo enough relief to sign a needle mover.

Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) reacts against the Kansas City Chiefs during the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The real question is why didn't they work out a deal that freed up significant money in 2025 and 2026? If it wasn't mathematically possible, then why did they have to work out a new contract this offseason, especially when Allen openly pondered "what's five [million dollars] more going to do for my life that I can't already do right now?"

RELATED: Sports Illustrated's surprising grade for Josh Allen’s new contract

It's understandable that the organization wanted to reward the franchise centerpiece for reaching NFL MVP status, but it's surprising they didn't find a way to do so without opening up more salary cap space.

"I told my agent that, hey, if this has any impact on the cap, let's figure out a way to not do that," said Allen.

But they did it anyway?

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen attends the TGL match between Jupiter Links GC and Atlanta Drive GC at SoFi Center on March 4, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. / GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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