Despite coming off arguably the best game of his career, Ryan Allen entered the 2019 offseason in a competition for the New England Patriots’ punter role. The team ultimately decided to go with rookie Jake Bailey instead of the veteran, and released Allen in mid-August. After being let go by the team for which he appeared in 112 regular season and playoff contests, it took the 29-year-old almost three months to find a new team.
But find one he did: the Atlanta Falcons signed Allen on Monday after a workout session, and after already having used three different punters since losing starter Matt Bosher to a season-ending injury in early October. The veteran will now try what his predecessors failed to do and bring stability to Atlanta’s punter position. Allen, of course, appears to be a qualified candidate after holding the job in New England for six rather successful seasons.
The Patriots had originally added Allen in 2013, when they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Louisiana Tech. Going against incumbent Zoltan Mesko, the rookie was able to win the job — and he went on to become one of the most successful punters the league had ever seen. During his time in New England, Allen earned three championship rings and became one of the most reliable albeit unspectacular punters in all of football.
As noted above, his best career performance might just have come in his final game with the Patriots. Allen, who had fended off rookie Corey Bojorquez during the summer, was solid all 2018 long but took his game to another level on the game’s biggest stage: in Super Bowl 53, he punted the football five times for a net average of 40.6 yards, consistently helping the Patriots win the field position battle during the lowest scoring title game ever.
After the season, the Patriots re-signed Allen to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. However, the addition of Bailey and the rookie’s strong performance during training camp and the preseason — let alone his versatility to also perform kickoffs — sealed the 29-year-old’s fate. New England moved on from Allen and went forward with Bailey, which turned out to be a good decision for the club: the rookie has performed well as a punter and kickoff specialist.