(01-29-2024, 12:56 PM)Caldrac Wrote: He's an outside linebacker and that's where his salary will be slotted at. If we're being realistic. He's going to get a massive deal. Whether it's here or elsewhere. Somebody is going to pay him. Just eyeballing some of the highest paid players on Spotrac, it goes:

Khalil Mack - 6 years at $141M / $23.5M signing bonus / $90M guaranteed - Started in 2014 - 101.5 career sacks, has racked up 25.0 those sacks since signing. 124 tackles.

Joey Bosa - 5 years at $135M / $27M signing bonus / $102M guaranteed - Started in 2016 - 67 career sacks, injuries have slowed him down tremendously since signing.

T.J Watt - 4 years at $112M / $28M signing bonus / $80M guaranteed - Started in 2017 - Absolute monster, honestly underpaid, probably due for new deal soon. 

Bradley Chubb - 5 years at $110M / $22M signing bonus / $53M guaranteed - Started in 2018 - Injuries earlier on, playing better, coming off his best year since rookie season.

Rashan Gary - 4 years at $96M / $34M signing bonus / $34M guaranteed - Started in 2019 - Probably overpaid but I have no clue what his role requires. 31.5 sacks and 179 career tackles seems lack luster to me on paper. 

Those are your top five guys at Josh Allen's respective position. Here is what Josh Allen has done. 

Started in 2019, has 45 career sacks, 251 career tackles, missed half of his second season but he's remained relatively consistent since his rookie year, he's been a guy that gets you a minimum of 7.0 sacks while also getting after it as a run defender, he's only 26 years old, coming off his best year yet with 17.5 sacks. Again, he's going to get paid. 

My best guess, after looking at everything above. I think Josh Allen's contract more than likely commands the following standards or it's at least apart of the conversation. 

1. He's clearly ascending and not anywhere near his peak yet at the age of 26. 
2. He's been consistent since his rookie season, minus year two with the injury. 
3. He's a leader in the locker room. 
4. He's performed in spite of being surrounded by less effective talent around him. 
5. He's more of a well rounded player and more durable than the likes of guys like Joey Bosa and Rashan Gary higher above him in the pay scale. 

I think, you're looking at something to the tune of, 6 years, $135.2M, $36M signing bonus, and $93M guaranteed. He has the production, the age, the consistency, the ascension, the durability, the well roundedness and leadership in his favor. If Baalke gets him for anything cheaper than that I would be not only impressed but pleasantly surprised.

I think, for the cap's sake, that they give more up front guaranteed. With the Bosa deal they dropped him $50 million up front, so that makes his cost $10 million plus salary and bonuses for each season. That base salary for the first couple seasons made his  cap hit $11.7 and $14.4 the first two years. The third year the cost is a little over $20 then the next season they can get out for around $13 million dead money for two seasons. Obviously we want Allen to be here for most of the years of the new deal, but the structure can be such that we rework it or let him go around the time he turns 31. All this talk with the numbers thrown around is mostly for agents and headlines, it has little bearing on the actual salary cap and how the contract is structured.

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