Lions to sign veteran quarterback to backup Jared Goff

Since catching on with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2018, Allen has bounced around the league a bit. In addition to Carolina, the quarterback has had stints with Washington, Houston, Buffalo, and (most recently) Pittsburgh.

He got his longest look as a starter with the Panthers in 2019. He went 5-7 in 12 starts that season, completing 62 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. Since then, Allen has gone 1-5 in starts with Washington and Houston.

After serving as the Bills’ victory cigar in 2023, Allen caught on with the Steelers last offseason. He spent the season behind Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, completing his only pass attempt (to George Pickens for 19 yards) in Week 5.

In Detroit, he’ll be joining a depth chart that still features Hendon Hooker and Jake Fromm as Jared Goff‘s backups. A 2023 third-round pick, Hooker got all the looks as QB2 in 2024, completing six of his nine pass attempts in three appearances. Fromm earned two starts with the Giants in 2021 and hasn’t made a regular-season appearances since that time.