Daily Dirt: Buddy, can you spare a dime? Well, probably, if you’re an NFL quarterback

Daily Dirt for Monday, March 10, 2025

I never imagined using the names Johnny Cash and Ozzy Osbourne in the same breath, but it happened today. You’ll understand once you reach thought No. 3 … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,225 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys. Encourage them to be NFL quarterbacks.

Did you see the new contract that Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills agreed to over the weekend?

Six years, $330 million (which includes $250 guaranteed). That’s $55 million a season, or about $3.24 million each Sunday afternoon during the regular season.

Is Allen worth that kind of pocket change? Well, since entering the league in 2018, Allen has 65 rushing touchdowns — 10 more than the next closest quarterback (Jalen Hurts). Allen has accounted for at least 40 touchdowns (passing or rushing) in five straight seasons, the longest streak in NFL history. No other player has done that in four straight seasons.

What will make all questions surrounding such a contract disappear is a Super Bowl championship, or at least an appearance.

How does Allen’s new deal rank with the salaries of other leading NFL quarterbacks? Take a look:

• Dak Prescott, Dallas, $60 million
• Josh Allen, Buffalo, $55 million
• Joe Burrow, Cincinnati, $55 million
• Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville, $55 million
• Jordan Love, Green Bay, $55 million
• Tua Tagovailoa, Miami, $53.1 million
• Jared Goff, Detroit, $53 million
• Justin Herbert, San Diego, $52.5 million
• Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia, $51 million

2. Did you know (Part 299) …

• The largest snake ever found (in 2009) was the Titanoboa, about 42 feet in length and weighing 2,500 pounds.
• The Cleveland Cavaliers are 47-0 when leading after three quarters.
• Squirrels cannot see the color red and have about a nine-year life san.
• A giraffe can deliver a kick strong enough to crack a lion’s skull or spine.
• NFL Super Bowl referees also receive Super Bowl rings.

3. If you have never read much about the late Johnny Cash, also known as “The Man In Black,” I’d suggest you do so. He had an absolutely fascinating life, not only involving his career in music but also as an Army war hero.

Cash also spent time in the Betty Ford Clinic after becoming addicted to painkillers as a result of his time in the service in the 1950s. Interestingly, while in the clinic, he credited the help of a friend he made there who assisted him through the process of “getting clean.” That friend he made while in the clinic? A guy named Ozzy Osbourne.

Steve Thought O’ The Day
If you’re still thinking about some of those NFL quarterback salaries, consider that Dak Prescott will pay around $20.1 million in taxes from that $60 million salary. That’s brutal, but I think he’ll get by just fine.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. His tax bill is similar to that of Prescott’s.