Giants QB Brandon Allen Is Quietly an NFL Preseason Legend Over Last Decade

The Giants' third-string quarterback has thrown for 2,579 yards and nine touchdowns across nine preseason campaigns — and he's set to add to those totals in New York.

Jun 3, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Brandon Allen participates in drills | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

NFL preseason games offer players at the end of the depth chart a chance to make an on-field impact, showcasing themselves to their coaching staff in a final push for a roster spot. 

New York Giants backup quarterback Brandon Allen is more than familiar with the process. Allen isn't just experienced in the preseason. He's the most productive quarterback in the last decade of NFL preseason games, according to Pro Football Focus, with 2,579 preseason passing yards.

Allen has spent time on various NFL rosters across his nine seasons in the league. He has played in the preseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers, and Tennessee Titans.

Across those nine preseason campaigns, he has thrown 385 passes, completing 242 of them for 2,579 yards, nine touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.

He has an average NFL passer rating of 72.9 in the preseason. Those numbers would line up with a discouraging single-season campaign for a starting quarterback.

The Giants signed Allen this offseason on a one-year, $1.45 million contract. He is currently the team's third quarterback, behind Jaxson Dart and Jameis Winston. Allen is a long shot to make New York's final 53-man roster.

Still, he should get plenty of opportunities throughout the preseason to increase his counting stats. Giants head coach John Harbaugh has not made it clear how much he will play his starters in the preseason, but Dart likely won't see much work.

Allen should command most of the late-game snaps in each of New York's three preseason matchups, especially considering that the Giants don't have a young backup QB to develop. Playing with a deep group of receivers, he should continue his high preseason production.

As far as a roster spot though, he is once again looking fromt he outside in unless the Giants plan to keep three quarterbacks on the roster.

Preseason stats aren't necessarily a sign of quality. Typically, NFL teams only play their starters for a series or two in preseason games before letting backups take over for the rest of the way. The best quarterbacks in the league are never going to have the highest totals in passing yards or passing touchdowns.

Still, the 33-year-old quarterback can hang his hat on being one of the most productive preseason players over the last ten years.

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