PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles on Friday signed Olympic hurdles player and former Oregon Ducks receiver Devon Allen to a three-year contract.
Allen, 27, hasn't played football since 2016 when he was with the Ducks. He paused his football career to pursue track and field and did quite well in that pursuit, placing fifth and fourth in the 110m hurdles at the last two Olympics.
Allen caught the attention of scouts at Oregon's pro day earlier this month when he ran an unofficial 4.35-second 40-yard dash. This led to a tour with the Eagles and then eventually a three-year deal, which is a standard contract for no-draft free agents.
He suffered a pair of knee injuries in Oregon and appeared in a total of nine games in his final two seasons. His first year in Oregon was his best, as he had 41 receptions for 684 yards and seven touchdowns, while averaging 16.7 yards per catch.
A three-time national champion in the 110-meter hurdles, Allen told reporters at Oregon's Pro Day that he intends to compete at the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships in June and the World Athletics Championships in July, before turning to football. Focus your attention on
"I'm going to put football on the back burner for now," he said via The Oregonian. "I wanted to come to Pro Day and announce that I'm taking this seriously. The goal is to get ready for the world, compete in the worlds, win, break world records, and then on July 18th when the worlds are done." So, go to camp next week."