The backup quarterback position is one of the most important positions in football. There's a reason why most contenders invest in a good backup QB. When your star signal-caller goes down, you need someone who can pilot your Super Bowl-caliber offense to a passable degree. The Buffalo Bills had a solid backup QB in former first-overall pick Mitchell Trubisky.
With Trubisky signing a new deal with the Tennessee Titans, the Bills need a new backup for Josh Allen. Buffalo is going for a familiar face, signing former Bill Kyle Allen to be their QB2 for the 2026 season.
“The Bills are signing QB Kyle Allen to a two-year, $6.1 million deal, per sources,” Dianna Russini reported on X. “He spent 2023 backing up Josh Allen and now returns to Buffalo, who lost Mitchell Trubisky to Tennessee earlier today.”
Allen went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, the same year the Bills drafted Josh Allen. The former Texas A&M and Houston quarterback signed with the Carolina Panthers that same year and bounced around the league since. He spent two years in Carolina, then two years with Washington. In 2023, he signed with the Bills to be their backup. He didn't see much playing time that year, and he signed with the Texans the year after.
After a stint with the Detroit Lions last season, Allen heads back to the Bills to be their QB2. He's played in 34 games and started in 19 of those games. He completed 442 of his 707 passing attempts for 4753 yards, throwing 26 touchdowns to 21 interceptions. The bulk of those interceptions came during his lone season as a starter in Carolina, where he threw 17 touchdowns to 16 interceptions.
The last few seasons have shown that every team looking to contend for a title needs to have a passable backup quarterback at best. The San Francisco 49ers remained in playoff contention after Brock Purdy's injury thanks to Mac Jones. The same can't be said for the Cincinnati Bengals, who struggled with backup Jake Browning after Joe Burrow's injury. The Bills certainly don't want Josh Allen to get injured… but they need to be prepared for the worst.
