The 49ers have their fourth quarterback. NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero on Wednesday reported San Francisco has agreed to a one-year deal with veteran signal caller Brandon Allen.
Allen, 30, spent the last three seasons as Joe Burrow’s backup in Cincinnati. Now he joins a 49ers club where he’ll be QB3 through at least OTAs and into training camp, but now the door is open for him to remain the QB3 if the club winds up getting a trade offer they can’t pass up for Trey Lance. His performance in OTAs and training camp while Brock Purdy recovers from offseason elbow surgery could determine just how willing the team is to depart with the former No. 3 overall pick.
The Jaguars took Allen with a sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft. He eventually debuted with Denver in 2019 when he started three games. In 2020 he made his way to the Bengals where he sat behind Burrow for three years and aided in his development.
In four seasons Allen is 2-7 in nine starts. He’s completed 56.7 percent of his throws and averages 6.1 yards per attempt with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.
It looked like the 49ers might add another QB in the undrafted free agent market. Instead they went with a veteran who has held a backup role for his entire career.
