Josh Allen Told Bills He Didn't Want to Hurt Salary Cap with Historic $330M Contract

Josh Allen says he was concerned about the Buffalo Bills' cap space when signing his record-breaking six-year, $330 million contract.

"I understood the impact of getting the extension done and creating some cap space," Allen told reporters Wednesday, per Ryan O'Halloran of the Buffalo News.

Allen told reporters he had asked his agent to avoid, if possible, "any impact on the cap" during negotiations.

"When you start getting these fairly big numbers throughout the entire league— it's weird to say this, but what's five more gonna do for my life, that I can't already do right now?" Allen asked (h/t News 4 Buffalo's Nick Veronica.)

Allen continued: "I wasn't looking to absolutely kill them at every chance I could. I told my agent that. I was like, 'Hey, if this 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. It was a pretty calm-mannered negotiation, is what I can say."

Allen's contract includes a record-setting $250 million in guaranteed money, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. But the annual percentage of the cap his contract will take up going forward ranks 13th in the NFL, per Spotrac:

When Allen signed his previous deal in 2021, his $43 million average annual value ranked second only to Patrick Mahomes for the highest in the NFL.

Four years later, the escalating quarterback market made Allen's annual salary the 14th-highest in the NFL.

The reigning MVP now ties Joe Burrow, Jordan Love and Trevor Lawrence for the second-highest average annual value behind Dak Prescott's NFL-leading $60 million per year.

However, thanks to a front-loaded contract, Allen is set to earn more than Prescott over the next four seasons. He is owed an NFL-high $220 million over the next four seasons, per Spotrac.

The Bills are currently projected to have just $4.5 million in cap space heading into the 2025 season by Over the Cap.

The franchise will spend this offseason working on restructuring deals and creating more cap space in order to make enough room to build a Super Bowl contender around Allen.

Allen meanwhile remains on track to spend his entire NFL career with the Bills after committing to the team through his age-35 season. He told reporters Wednesday he hopes to retire in Buffalo, per NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe.