Josh Allen's massive Bills contract vs Lamar Jackson's Ravens deal: Inside the money behind their NFL stardom

Josh Allen has $250 million in guaranteed money. Lamar Jackson has $185 million and no new contract. Allen's six-year, $330 million extension with the Bills runs through 2030, while Jackson's five-year, $260 million deal with the Ravens expires after 2027. Allen signed in March 2025, Jackson in April 2023. Both are former MVPs, and both are paid like it. Allen's guarantee alone beats Jackson's by $65 million. Buffalo has its quarterback signed three seasons longer than Baltimore has Jackson. The Ravens, meanwhile, face a cap spike and an unfinished negotiation.Josh Allen's Bills contract versus Lamar Jackson's Ravens dealJosh Allen's contract is the newer and larger of the two. The Bills gave him a six-year, $330 million extension, with $250 million guaranteed, in March 2025, after his MVP season. The deal averages $55 million a year. At the time, that lifted him from 14th among quarterbacks in average annual value to a tie for second.Jackson's deal came first, and it was built differently. He agreed to five years and $260 million, a $52 million average that was the highest in the league then. The contract carried a $72.5 million signing bonus and $185 million in guarantees. But only $135 million was fully guaranteed at signing. That figure rose to $156 million after one season and reached $185 million after two.Allen's guarantee is $65 million bigger, and it sits on a contract that runs three years longer. Jackson represents himself and has never had an agent.Allen's signing bonus was $56.7 million, smaller than the $72.5 million Jackson received. His cap hit is still heavy, listed at $61.4 million for 2026 and $86.1 million in 2029.This is Allen's second major payday in Buffalo. His 2021 extension was worth $258 million and carried a then-record $150 million in guarantees. The 2025 deal lifted that guarantee by $100 million. He will be 34 when the final season begins.Lamar Jackson's cap hit is Baltimore's problemBaltimore wanted a new deal done before free agency this spring and did not get one. General manager Eric DeCosta said the Ravens "ran out of time," so they restructured Jackson's contract instead. The move cleared nearly $40 million in 2026 cap space, but it pushed a large chunk of money into 2027.Jackson's cap figure is $34.4 million this season. Next year it jumps to $84.3 million.The Ravens have been through this before. Jackson's 2023 deal ended more than two years of fraught talks, and he reportedly wanted a fully guaranteed contract like the $230 million Deshaun Watson received from Cleveland. Baltimore balked at going that far.The Ravens kept pushing into the season. NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported they were still after an agreement before the opener against the Colts. By mid-September, ESPN's Adam Schefter said an extension was likely on hold until 2027. That makes 2026 part of the negotiation. A strong year raises Jackson's price, and he turns 30 in January.Jackson also holds a full no-trade clause, which limits what Baltimore can do if talks stall.Buffalo is in a different spot. With Allen signed through 2030, the Bills know what their quarterback costs for the next four seasons after this one. Baltimore can say that only through 2027, and that final year carries the biggest cap number.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.