There are plenty of ways to value a contract. For most extensions, agents (and, in turn, the media members to whom they leak the numbers) typically focus on the “new-money average.”

It’s become an industry standard, even if it’s a fiction. There are no extensions, per se. The old deal is always ripped up, and it’s always replaced with a new contract.

That’s precisely what the Bills did for Josh Allen. He had four years left on a deal that had become grossly obsolete. So they put it in the shredder and signed Allen to a brand-new, six-year deal. It reportedly pays $330 million — $55 million per year from signing.

It’s the richest deal in NFL history, from signing. Which is all that matters.

Dak Prescott’s latest contract has a value from signing of $53.8 million. Lamar Jackson’s contract was, at signing, a $52.5 million deal.

So that’s the new high-water mark. From signing, $55 million per year.

Allen deserved it. Allen got it. And the Bills didn’t play the “you’re under contract for four more years” game. He’s in his prime, he’s the MVP, and it’s possible that he’ll find an even higher level of postseason performance, now that both the league and his team have given him the appreciation he deserves.