Josh Allen Contract Extension Update: Sean McDermott is Confident
Whether it happens this month, this year or next year, a contract extension for Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen will not prove to be a contentious negotiation, according to coach Sean McDermott.
Speaking to the NFL Network before his appearance on Wednesday at the American Century Championship, McDermott assured the public both sides are in good positions.
"Josh has done such an incredible job," McDermott raved in an interview with Omar Ruiz and Steve Wyche. "He's wired the right way, he puts in a lot of time and effort, I can tell you that, when he's away from us, honing his craft and the work he puts in with [private quarterbacks coach] Jordan Palmer. ... Every year that Josh has come back from the time off, he's gotten better and he's worked on a couple of aspects in particular of his game.
"So this year has been no different to this point. Now that he's been away from us and as we head into camp, I'm anxious to see how he looks again and how he's improved in the time that we've been apart here in the last four or five weeks."
Allen's breakout season in 2020 helped land the Bills in the AFC Championship Game. He made it to the Pro Bowl and finished second in the NFL MVP voting after throwing for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns, running for 421 yards and eight more TDs and even catching a TD pass.
"These things handle themselves," McDermott said. "They work themselves out when you've got two parties that want to be together and have the same end goal in mind. Josh is a great, young talent and he fits so well with Buffalo and the city and the town and the people of Buffalo. So I firmly believe it's going to work itself out."
The Bills already have picked up the fifth-year option on Allen's rookie contract, locking him in through next season, after which they can continue to own his rights by applying the franchise tag.
But neither side expects the negotiations to last much longer, and Allen has said he will work with the Bills on a long-term deal that will give them reasonable salary cap flexibility to supplement the team's needs over the next few seasons in free agency.
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
