Previously Joe Burrow‘s backup in Cincinnati, Brandon Allen could soon see the cards fall in his favor in San Francisco. Not joining the 49ers until May, their current third-string quarterback looks to have an opportunity to move up the depth chart fairly soon.
Sam Darnold resides as Brock Purdy‘s unquestioned backup, but after injuries changed a slew of teams’ QB plans this season, it would not surprise to see the NFL collectively place a greater emphasis on the backup role in free agency. Darnold would stand to benefit, being one of the league’s top backups. While Darnold said he chose the 49ers in large part because of Kyle Shanahan and the team’s weaponry, the former No. 3 overall pick may well become too expensive for the team to retain.
Enter Allen, whom The Athletic’s Matt Barrows notes the team views as a “strong candidate” to be Purdy’s backup next season (subscription required). The 49ers made it a priority to acquire Allen after the draft, despite employing Trey Lance at the time. Allen is tied to a veteran-minimum deal (one year, $1.23M) for his experience level. The journeyman backup will carry a much lower price tag compared to Darnold, who will be in position to command more than the one-year, $4.5M deal he signed in March.
Allen, 31, is a ninth-year veteran who has taken snaps in just four of those seasons. A 2015 Jaguars sixth-round pick, the Arkansas alum spent time with the Rams and Broncos prior to a three-year run as Burrow’s Bengals backup. Allen’s most notable work came during the 2019 and ’20 seasons, when he made eight combined starts in place of injured starters (Joe Flacco and Burrow). Allen does not bring an impressive statistical resume, holding a career 6.1-yard average per attempt and a 56.7% completion rate. He is 2-7 as a starter. But the 6-foot-2 passer, who stepped into the QB3 role in earnest after the 49ers traded Lance to the Cowboys, will have a year of experience in Shanahan’s offense.
Considering the issues the 49ers have experienced at quarterback under Shanahan, it would surprise if the team did not explore a higher-end backup in the event Darnold leaves for either a bridge-QB job or joins a team with a less solidified starter. San Francisco, however, has seen Purdy recover from his UCL tear and become a Pro Bowl invitee. The experience gap between Darnold and Allen is certainly notable, and even with Nick Bosa on a defender-record extension and Brandon Aiyuk an extension candidate, it would surprise if the 49ers did not explore the backup market again. But Allen looks to be a clear QB2 option for 2024.
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