John Harbaugh’s rebuild of the New York Giants was never going to include Russell Wilson, but the head coach has finally replaced the Super Bowl winner by adding another arm to the quarterback room in 2026 NFL free agency. A passer who once backed up former No. 1 overall draft pick Joe Burrow.
The Giants are “signing veteran quarterback Brandon Allen, per a league source,” according to KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson. He reported the deal on Monday, April 13.
Career backup Allen is well known to ex-Baltimore Ravens head coach Harbaugh from their time in the AFC North. The former Cincinnati Bengals QB2 now becomes a credible third quarterback in a room also home to another first-overall pick, Jameis Winston.
The latter usurped Wilson as the preferred backup to Jaxson Dart, last year’s first-round pick who Harbaugh and the Giants are counting on maturing into a franchise quarterback.
Meanwhile, 10-time Pro Bowler Wilson, who began 2025 as Big Blue’s starter, is left on the veteran market and still waiting to find a new home.
Brandon Allen Adds Experience at Key Position
Few journeymen signal-callers around the league are as well travelled as Allen. The 33-year-old has played on six teams, including the Bengals and San Francisco 49ers, and spent last season with the Tennessee Titans.
What stands out about Allen’s career CV is his exposure to some of the most highly regarded QB gurus in the game. Including 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and Los Angeles Rams boss Sean McVay.
Although he’s only made a mere 10 starts since entering the pros as a sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft, one of Allen’s starts came against the Giants. He stepped in for an injured Burrow for the Bengals’ Week 12 clash against Big Blue in 2020.
The former Arkansas standout threw for 136 yards and a touchdown, but he also took two sacks and tossed an interception during a 19-17 win for the Giants.
Allen can’t match the track record Wilson boasted, but he has plenty of experience of a wide variety of some of the best offensive schemes. His signing is a no-frills, under-the-radar way for the Giants to successfully move on from their ill-fated Wilson experiment.
Giants Have Drawn a Line Under Russell Wilson Saga
Wilson was supposed to experience a career reboot and solve the Giants’ issues at football’s most important position. Instead, Wilson was soon sent to the bench after initially flattering to deceive, but ultimately being unable to rebuff his many critics.
The Giants hoped Wilson would bring stability to the quarterback depth chart after their nightmare time paying Daniel Jones like an elite starter. General manager Joe Schoen bet Wilson was the answer, but Schoen hedged those bets when he traded up to draft Dart.
It’s now firmly Dart’s show, and Harbaugh is already impressed by how the second-year pro is approaching changes on offense. Dart’s comfort level with new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy will be key to how fast Harbaugh can rebuild the Giants, but it makes sense to keep the rotation stocked with experience.
Nagy has spent key portions of his career with Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs, helping to call a multi-layered, QB-centric system. Leaning on the knowledge of Allen and Winston will only help Dart get to grips with a demanding playbook.
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