The New York Giants signed quarterback Brandon Allen on April 9, adding a veteran arm to a room that is taking shape before spring practices. Allen, who is 6-2 and 209 pounds, becomes the third quarterback on the roster.
Allen arrives with a long résumé for a player taken in the sixth round, No. 201 overall, by Jacksonville in 2016. He has played in 19 games with 10 starts and has completed 183 of 323 passes for 1,882 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
That resume has been built across a circuitous NFL path. Allen has spent time with the Jaguars, Rams, Broncos, Bengals, 49ers and Titans, and his most memorable moments have come in flashes rather than volume.
He won his first career start in his NFL debut on Nov. 3, 2019, while with the Broncos, and that day included a 75-yard touchdown to tight end Noah Fant. In 2020, while playing for Cincinnati, Allen connected with Tyler Boyd on a 72-yard touchdown, another reminder that his arm can still change a game on one throw.
The Giants also know him from the coaching tree. Brian Callahan was the offensive coordinator for Cincinnati when Allen hit Boyd for that 72-yard score, and Callahan worked with Allen again last season when he was head coach of the Titans. That familiarity may help a roster player settle quickly into a backup role, especially with spring work approaching.
Allen’s college career also showed durability and production. At Arkansas, he totaled 7,463 passing yards and made 38 career starts, including his final 34 games. He finished second in school history with 583 completions and 1,016 attempts, and third in completion percentage at 57.4.
Before the NFL, he was already around the game in a different way, serving as a Manning Passing Academy counselor as a senior in 2015. Now he joins a Giants quarterback group that includes Jaxson Dart and Jameis Winston, giving the team another experienced option as it gets ready for the next phase of the offseason.
The move fits the moment for New York: a fresh roster spot, a familiar veteran, and a quarterback room that now has one more insurance policy if spring work turns into anything more than a routine evaluation.
