Evaluating the richest quarterback contracts in the NFL
9. Josh Allen - $43 million per season
The ninth richest contract in the NFL belongs to Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. He is playing relatively well this year, but the turnovers are really a huge flaw of his game. Buffalo has won a ton of games with Allen and just clawed their way into an AFC East title this year, earning the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
Josh Allen is far from an elite QB in my opinion, but he does seem to be worth his contract.
8. Patrick Mahomes - $45 million per season
After the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 2019, the team extended Patrick Mahomes, and at the time, it was the richest QB contract ever. Now at $45 million per year, it's barely inside the top-10. The Chiefs have struggled a bit this year on offense. They went 11-6 in the regular season, and for the first time in the Mahomes era, they may have to go on the road in the playoffs.
Mahomes is still the best QB in the NFL, but not even he can overcome over the sub-par WR play from his pass-catchers this year. Tight end Travis Kelce has also declined a bit too, and did not hit the 1,000 yard mark.
7. Deshaun Watson - $46 million per season
The Cleveland Browns traded for Deshaun Watson and signed him to a fully-guaranteed deal worth $46 million per year. This easily stands as the worst contract in the NFL and perhaps in all of sports. Watson has simply not been a good passer with the Browns, and it's pretty telling that the best their offense has looked has come from the hot hand of... Joe Flacco.