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The Buffalo Bills searched years for a franchise quarterback. In the 2018 NFL Draft, they finally found one. The early returns weren’t terribly promising, as their raw rookie quarterback struggled in that 2018 NFL season. However, after making major progress in the 2019 season, that young player took the leap from average starter to elite player.
As a result, it’s no longer a debate regarding whether the Bills have found their guy. Instead, that debate has been replaced with discussions of just how much money it’s going to cost to reach a contract extension that keeps him in Orchard Park for the prime of his career.
Coming in at number two on our list of Buffalo’s top salary cap values of 2020 is the face of the Bills’ franchise.
2020 Salary Cap Figure: $5,867,191 (2.66 percent of Buffalo’s total salary cap)
2020 Stats: 69.2 perecent completion percentage, 4,544 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 102 rushes, 421 rushing yards, 8 rushing touchdowns, 1 target, 1 reception, 12 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 9 fumbles
According to Pro Football Reference’s approximate value rating, Allen was the most valuable player in the NFL last year, as he tied with Aaron Donald for the honor. With that in mind, I’m probably underselling just how valuable Allen was last year by naming him the second-best value rather than the top one on the roster. Allen rewrote the Bills’ record books as it relates to passing in a single season, breaking Jim Kelly’s record for most passing touchdowns, Drew Bledsoe’s record for most passing yards, and Kelly Holcomb’s (yes, you read that right) record for highest completion percentage. In short, Allen’s 2020 season was the best in Bills’ history at the quarterback position, and it was all done in the third year of his rookie contract. The Bills will almost certainly be signing Allen to a mega deal within the next year, but, for now, the quarterback on a rookie contract remains one of the best values going on the team and in the league.