Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills and their fans are hyper-focused on one thing: winning the Super Bowl. That’s true of any NFL team and fan base, but it hits a bit different for a select few franchises where no Lombardi Trophy sits. Buffalo hasn’t even appeared in the big game since the 1993 season, their fourth-consecutive, yet unsuccessful trip. Now more than three decades removed from the Super Bowl, the Bills’ chances of finally getting back there and winning it all have never been better. That’s because of quarterback Josh Allen.
Yet, speed bumps remain.
At some point, the Buffalo Bills may need Josh Allen to be selfless and take a pay cut. It’s not a knock on him, and it’s not really fair, either. Allen has been everything the Bills’ franchise could have dreamed of and more. But at some point, it’s the reality of how championship teams are built and maintained in today’s NFL.
Tom Brady did it for years with the New England Patriots. It wasn’t because he didn’t deserve more money, it’s because he valued the rings more. And that’s the kind of crossroads One Bills Drive is quietly approaching with Josh Allen.
The Kansas City Chiefs figured out how to pay their stars because they draft extremely well and continually replace expensive role players with younger, more affordable talent. The Cincinnati Bengals locked up Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Trey Hendrickson — but because of it, they can’t seem to find or afford a quality offensive line. And when Hendrickson’s not in the lineup, their defensive front looks thin.
The Philadelphia Eagles are another team that cracked the code. They pay their core guys big money, but they offset it with constant talent pipelines through the draft and savvy contract structuring.
The Bills? Every season it feels like they’re duct-taping holes, whether it’s the defensive line one year, the wide receiver room the next, or now the defensive backs. Those glaring deficiencies can only be fixed through one of two things: elite drafting or financial flexibility.
And Josh Allen, as much as he’s done for this franchise, only controls one of those things.
That’s where the uncomfortable part comes in. Does Josh Allen want a Lombardi Trophy badly enough for himself, for this organization, and for Bills Mafia, to make that sacrifice? He’s earned every dollar of his $250 million career earnings. No one can dispute that. But at this stage, the biggest assist he can give the team might not come from a play on the field. It might come from renegotiating his contract, not a restructure but an actual pay cut, and freeing up the cap space the Bills desperately need to finally get over the hump.
