Kyle Allen is a veteran backup quarterback who signed a two-year deal with the Buffalo Bills in 2026 after spending 2025 with the Detroit Lions.
Allen entered the league as an undrafted free agent and has stuck around as a reliable depth quarterback for nearly a decade. He has made stops in Carolina, Washington, Houston, Buffalo and Detroit. In 2026 he returned to the Bills, where he had previously backed up Josh Allen.
Path to the league
Allen began his college career at Texas A&M before transferring to Houston, where he set a single-game completion-percentage record. He went undrafted in 2018 and caught on with the Panthers. He earned starts in Carolina in 2019 when Cam Newton was injured.
Career highlights
Allen started multiple games for the Panthers and Washington early in his career before settling into a backup role. He had a previous stint in Buffalo behind Josh Allen in 2023 and also appeared for the Texans. He has been valued for his command of an offense as a No. 2 quarterback.
2025 season
Allen spent the 2025 season as the backup to Jared Goff in Detroit, appearing in three games and beating out Hendon Hooker for the role, per reporting. He returned to the Bills on a two-year deal in 2026 free agency.
Sources
- Buffalo Bills: Bills sign quarterback Kyle Allen on two-year deal
- ESPN: Kyle Allen player page
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Passing
3 games played▶Passing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CMP | ATT | YDS | TD | INT | RTG | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | lions | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | 4.8 |
| 2024 | steelers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 118.8 | 99.3 |
| 2023 | bills | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | - |
| 2022 | texans | 2 | 46 | 78 | 416 | 2 | 4 | 60.6 | 3.7 |
| 2021 | washington | 2 | 12 | 19 | 120 | 1 | 0 | 98.6 | 29.3 |
| 2020 | washington | 4 | 60 | 87 | 610 | 4 | 1 | 99.3 | 68.2 |
| 2019 | panthers | 13 | 303 | 489 | 3,322 | 17 | 16 | 80.0 | 38.3 |
| 2018 | panthers | 2 | 20 | 31 | 266 | 2 | 0 | 113.1 | 95.2 |
▶Rushing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | lions | 3 | 3 | -3 | -1.0 | 0 | -1 |
| 2023 | bills | 7 | 13 | -13 | -1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | texans | 2 | 6 | 13 | 2.2 | 0 | 5 |
| 2021 | washington | 2 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 11 |
| 2020 | washington | 4 | 7 | 26 | 3.7 | 1 | 13 |
| 2019 | panthers | 13 | 32 | 106 | 3.3 | 2 | 17 |
| 2018 | panthers | 2 | 5 | 19 | 3.8 | 1 | 10 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Quarterback
- Group
- offense
- College
- Houston
- Hometown
- Scottsdale, AZ, USA
- Age
- 30
- Status
- active
Team
