On the same day the Pittsburgh Steelers gained a quarterback in Mason Rudolph, they officially lose one, too. The Detroit Lions are signing Kyle Allen to contract, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Terms of the deal weren’t immediately disclosed. Allen spent the 2024 season as a Steelers’ backup, signed as the team’s third-string quarterback. He served as the No. 2 for the first six weeks as Russell Wilson sat out with a calf injury. Allen appeared in one game, briefly replacing Justin Fields after being checked for a concussion in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Allen logged two snaps, completing his one and only pass for 19 yards to TE Pat Freiermuth.
Once Wilson returned for Week 7, Allen returned to his third-string duties. He temporarily dressed in non-emergency fashion late in the season after Justin Fields missed time with an abdominal injury, but did not log a snap.
Our training camp review of him noted a good start followed by a fading finish, writing in part:
“On the positive side, Kyle Allen was generally accurate and had the calm approach of a veteran. He got the ball out on time, did well to beat the blitz, and got the offense aligned without many miscues or a comedy of errors. Through four practices, he completed more than two-thirds of his passes, threw four touchdowns to zero interceptions, and bested Fields in YPA and YPC. Like Fields, Allen benefitted from extra reps due to Wilson’s injury, averaging 12 per day throughout the first 10 practices. He’s even a little athletic, able to roll out and keep the play going. Allen even juked LB Luquay Washington in a 1-on-1 drill, though I’m sure Washington was careful not to get too physical.
Over the course of camp, his interceptions ramped up and he struggled in short-yardage areas. Too many end zone interceptions. Two of his six picks came in Seven Shots while a third came during the team’s annual goal-line period. All three were either forced throws or moments where Allen got tunnel vision and never saw the defender, like S Nate Meadors jumping a route and picking him midway through camp. Allen had iffy success in two-minute opportunities, once benefitting from a phantom Mike Tomlin-called penalty to keep a drive alive that eventually resulted in a score.”
We gave him a ‘C’ grade for his summer performance.
Just turned 29, Kyle Allen will backup Jared Goff for Detroit, competing with Hendon Hooker for No. 2 duties. Undrafted in 2018, the Lions will be Allen’s sixth NFL team in eight seasons having spent time with the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills, Steelers, and now Lions.
For his career, he’s appeared in 31 games with 19 starts. He’s completed 62.7 percent of his passes for more than 4,700 yards, 26 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
