 Allen with theMinnesota Vikings in 2009 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 69 | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1982-04-03)April 3, 1982 (age 43) Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | Los Gatos(Los Gatos, California) | ||||||||||||||||
| College | Idaho State (2000–2003) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2004: 4th round, 126th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is an American former professionalfootball player who was adefensive end in theNational Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A five-timePro Bowler and four-timeAll-Pro selection, he recorded 136 careersacks. He was elected to thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2025.
Allen playedcollege football for theIdaho State Bengals and was selected by theKansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the2004 NFL draft. After four years with the Chiefs, Allen was traded to theMinnesota Vikings in exchange for three draft picks, including a first rounder. He spent six years with the Vikings before joining theChicago Bears as a free agent in 2014. He was traded to theCarolina Panthers during the 2015 season, with whom he played inSuper Bowl 50. After retiring from the NFL, Allen took upcurling and formed a team with other former NFL players.
Allen was born inDallas, Texas, and raised on a horse ranch inMorgan Hill, California.[1]
Allen first attendedLive Oak High School in Morgan Hill, but transferred toLos Gatos High School inLos Gatos for his senior year after he was expelled for selling stolen yearbooks.[2] By then, Allen had lost many of his athletic scholarship offers, including from theUniversity of Washington where he had already verbally committed.[3] As a senior at Los Gatos, he was named First-team All-League and Defensive Player of the Year. He was also a First-team All-Central Coast Section selection, and a member of "Who's Who" inSports Illustrated. Allen was selected by the North squad for the North vs. South San Jose Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star football game, after a senior season where he racked up 96 tackles, 12 sacks, five forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries.[4]
Allen attendedIdaho State University, where he started 33 of 41 games for theIdaho State Bengals football team. The three-time All-Big Sky Conference selection finished his career with 250tackles, 38.5sacks, 73 stops for losses, sevenfumble recoveries, threetouchdowns, 13 forced fumbles, threeinterceptions, 26pass deflections, and one blocked kick.
As a freshman in 2000, Allen was originally slated toredshirt the season, but this was reconsidered, and he eventually played in eight games for the Bengals and earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors without ever being a starter. In 2001 Allen earned First-team All-Big Sky honors, and led the Bengals with 16 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. As a junior in 2002, Allen was named Second-team Division I-AA All-American by theAssociated Press, and was also named first-team All-Big Sky for the second consecutive season. He led the team in sacks, tackles for loss (with 18), and also led all Bengal linemen with 63 tackles.
In 2003, as a senior, Allen won theBuck Buchanan Award, recording 17.5 sacks, 102 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, three recovered fumbles, and nine pass deflections during 2003, ranking among theBig Sky Conference leaders in several defensive categories. Allen, a first-team Division I-AA All-American and a first-team All-Big Sky selection for the third straight season, led ISU to an 8–4 record that season, helping the school post its first back-to-back eight win seasons in school history. Idaho State finished the regular season ranked No. 21 in the nation.[5]
| Season | GP | Tackles | Int | Fum | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmb | Solo | Ast | TfL | Sck | PD | Int | FF | FR | ||
| 2000 | 8 | 39 | 13 | 26 | 11 | 4.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 10 | 49 | 24 | 25 | 16 | 6.5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 2002 | 11 | 63 | 30 | 33 | 18 | 10.5 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2003 | 12 | 102 | 48 | 54 | 28 | 17.5 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| Career | 41 | 253 | 115 | 138 | 71 | 38.5 | 26 | 3 | 13 | 7 |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.70 s | 1.64 s | 2.75 s | 4.34 s | 7.11 s | 33 in (0.84 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 13 reps | 19 |
| All values fromNFL Combine[6][7] | ||||||||||||
Before the draft, Allen was projected as a sixth or seventh round prospect; NFL columnist Rick Gosselin ranked Allen as the 19th-best defensive end in the draft. Scouts rated his prospects better as along snapper than on defense, with some calling him the best snapper in the class.[8][9] He ended up being taken by theKansas City Chiefs in the fourth round.[10]
Allen was selected by theKansas City Chiefs in the fourth round (126th overall) of the2004 NFL draft, and made the league minimum salary his first three years.[11] During hisrookie season, Allen played 15 games, starting 10 of them, and made 9 sacks on 31 tackles. In 2005, Allen appeared in all 16 games (starting 15) with 55 tackles, 11 sacks, 5 passes defended, 6 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. In 2006, Allen started all 16 games with 77 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 1 interception, 10 passes defended, 5 forced fumbles and 6 fumble recoveries (joint most in the AFC). On May 21, 2007, Allen, as a restricted free agent, signed the Chiefs' one-year tender offer ofUS$2.35 million for the2007 season.[12] Allen credited his early season success to hismullet; with every sack Allen made, he was expected to shave a "racing stripe" into his hairstyle. On December 2, 2007, Allen caught a touchdown pass against division rivalSan Diego.[13] On December 23, 2007, Allen caught another touchdown pass against theDetroit Lions.[14]
After leading the NFL in sacks in 2007 with 15.5, Allen was selected as a starting defensive end for the AFC in the2007 Pro Bowl and was also named in theAll-Pro team for 2007.[15]
In February 2008, the Chiefs placed thefranchise tag on Allen, giving him a one-year, $8.8 million contract for 2008.[16]
On April 22, 2008, the Chiefs traded Allen to theMinnesota Vikings in exchange for a first-round pick and two third-round picks (one of which was used to selectJamaal Charles), and the teams swapped sixth-round picks in the2008 NFL draft. The Vikings then signed Allen to a six-year contract, which at the time was the richest contract for a defensive player in NFL history.[17] Allen was due an $8 million roster bonus in 2010, per the six-year, $72.36 million contract he signed with the Vikings, and his signing bonus was $15.5 million.[18]
During the2008 season, Allen recorded 54 tackles, along with 14.5 sacks, 3 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 enforced safeties, while battling both knee and shoulder injuries throughout the season. He was named First-teamAll-Pro and selected to his second Pro Bowl. His first sack as a Viking was in a game against theIndianapolis Colts, when he sacked quarterbackPeyton Manning. In his first playoff game as a Viking, Allen recorded three tackles, along with two sacks and a forced fumble. Allen also forced asafety when he chasedDan Orlovsky out of the end zone during a game against theDetroit Lions,[19] and he forced another safety in the week 10 game against theGreen Bay Packers, when he sackedAaron Rodgers in the end zone.[20]
On October 5, 2009, against theGreen Bay Packers, Allen set a career-high with 4.5 sacks, as well as having his third safety in the previous two years. A week later, against theSt. Louis Rams, he returned a fumble 52 yards, for the first defensive touchdown of his career.[21] He also made the 2009 Pro Bowl, as the starting defensive end for the NFC team. For the 2009 year, Allen made 51 tackles with 14.5 sacks, an interception, 4 passes defended, 5 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, a defensive touchdown, and a safety enforced.
Allen started the2010 season slowly, having only one sack in the first 7 games, but had 10 sacks in the next 9 games, making him 10th in the league with 11 sacks. In the season finale against theDetroit Lions, Allen scored his second career defensive touchdown, a 36-yard interception return. Overall in 2010, Allen finished with 60 tackles, 11 sacks, 2 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), 6 passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He was ranked 80th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[22]
In 2011, Allen returned toKansas City. The Vikings lost the game 22–17. On January 1, 2012, Allen set the single-season franchise record for most sacks by a Viking, with 22 sacks. In Week 17 against theChicago Bears, Allen sackedJosh McCown 3.5 times, but fell a half sack short of the NFL record held by formerNew York Giants defensive endMichael Strahan.[23] Allen appeared onNFL's Top 100 players of 2012, and was ranked #13. Allen was voted 67 spots higher than last year, the biggest leap on the list.[24] Allen fell seven votes short of winningAP NFL Defensive Player of the Year.[25] On October 2, 2012, Allen was fined $7,875 for grabbingTampa Bay Buccaneers linemanDonald Penn's facemask.[26]
On March 26, 2014, Allen signed a four-year deal with theChicago Bears worth $32 million, of which $15.5 million is guaranteed, that could void down to three years and $24 million.[27] Allen missed the week three game against theGreen Bay Packers due to suffering frompneumonia and having lost 18 pounds.[28] As a result, his streak of games played dating back to week two of 2007 ended.[29] He finished 2014 with 52 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 4 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.
With the Bears using a 3-4 defense for the2015 season, Allen was transitioned to theoutside linebacker position.[30]
On September 28, 2015, Allen was traded to theCarolina Panthers for a conditional sixth-round pick in the2016 NFL draft.[31] Allen recorded his first sack for the Panthers during their 27–16 win over thePhiladelphia Eagles; he recorded one tackle-for-loss, two quarterback pressures, and a pass deflection during the game.[32] During aMonday Night Football victory over theIndianapolis Colts, Allen had his first sack as a member of the Panthers on quarterbackAndrew Luck to go along with five total tackles. On February 7, 2016, Allen was part of the Panthers team that played inSuper Bowl 50. In the game, the Panthers fell to theDenver Broncos by a score of 24–10.[33] In the loss, Allen recorded one tackle.[34]
On February 18, 2016, Allen announced his retirement by posting a video to hisTwitter account of him riding his horse "into the sunset."[35][36][37] On April 14, 2016, Allen signed a one-day contract with Minnesota so he could retire as a Viking.[38]
Allen first came up forPro Football Hall of Fame eligibility in2021, but failed to get inducted on the first ballot, as he was passed over in favor of fellow first-year eligibility matesPeyton Manning,Charles Woodson andCalvin Johnson.[39]
On July 29, 2022, Allen was announced as the 27th inductee of theMinnesota Vikings Ring of Honor.[40] On October 30, 2022, Allen was formally inducted into the Ring of Honor, riding intoU.S. Bank Stadium on a horse.[41] He was announced as a member of the 2025Pro Football Hall of Fame class at the14th NFL Honors.[42]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| NFL record | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Sfty | FF | FR | Yds | TD | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2004 | KC | 15 | 10 | 31 | 29 | 2 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | KC | 16 | 15 | 55 | 48 | 7 | 11.0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | KC | 16 | 16 | 77 | 65 | 12 | 7.5 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 |
| 2007 | KC | 14 | 14 | 64 | 55 | 9 | 15.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 54 | 41 | 13 | 14.5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 51 | 43 | 8 | 14.5 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 54 | 1 | 4 | 1 | −4 | −4.0 | −4 | 0 |
| 2010 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 60 | 45 | 15 | 11.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 40 | 20.0 | 36 | 1 |
| 2011 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 66 | 48 | 18 | 22.0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 |
| 2012 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 45 | 35 | 10 | 12.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 52 | 33 | 19 | 11.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | CHI | 15 | 15 | 56 | 37 | 19 | 5.5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | CHI | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
| CAR | 12 | 12 | 27 | 15 | 12 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career | 187 | 181 | 643 | 498 | 145 | 136.0 | 4 | 32 | 19 | 84 | 1 | 58 | 6 | 55 | 9.2 | 36 | 1 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Sfty | FF | FR | Yds | TD | PD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2006 | KC | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | MIN | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | MIN | 2 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | MIN | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | CAR | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 7 | 7 | 24 | 19 | 5 | 4.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | |
Since his retirement from football, Allen has picked up the sport ofcurling.[44] In March 2018 he recruited fellow retired NFL playersMarc Bulger,Keith Bulluck, andMichael Roos to form a competitive curling team. He first competed in aWorld Curling Tour event, the 2018Curl Mesabi Classic, losing all four games, including one against the2018 Olympics gold medal-winning team, 11–3.[45][46] His team then played in the 2019 US Men's Challenge Round (a qualifying event for theUnited States Men's Curling Championship), losing all three of their games, by a combined score of 27–3. The team then played in theEd Werenich Golden Wrench Classic, again going winless.[47]
Allen played in the2021 United States Men's Curling Championship playingsecond for 2007 US ChampionTodd Birr. At nationals, the team went 0–9. Allen competed in the2024 United States Men's Curling Championship with Team Ruohonen led by skipRich Ruohonen. Allen played lead.[48]
In April 2024 it was announced that Allen, as well as Canadian curlersJohn Morris, andJennifer Jones, were part of a sports business venture, The Curling Group, which purchased ownership and operations of theGrand Slam of Curling series fromSportsnet.[49]
In November 2025, Allen teamed up with former U.S. OlympianJason Smith and retired Canadian championsWayne Middaugh andJohn Morris to compete as an "all-star" team on a sponsor's exemption into the2025 GSOC Tahoe.[50]
Allen has been arrested/charged forDUI a total of three times. The first was inPocatello, Idaho, on May 11, 2002. He was then arrested twice within five months inLeawood, Kansas, on May 11, 2006, and on September 26, 2006. He was sentenced to 48 hours in jail as a result of the latter arrest.[51]
Allen is aChristian. Allen has spoken about his faith saying, "MyBible's my playbook for life" and "My ultimate goal is when I die, for Him to say, 'Welcome home, you good and faithful servant.' That’s how I try to gear my life and focus on Him."[52]
Allen serves as an advocate for theJuvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and raises funds through his "Sack Diabetes" program. Allen was also an active role model in the JDRF's Children's Congress 2009.[53] He is an avid hunter, and has been interviewed byField & Stream.[54]
Allen was among four NFL players who were sent overseas on an NFL-USO tour to visit with U.S. military troops: "It has been one of the best experiences of my life – something that I'll never forget. We as players probably get more out of it than you do as soldiers and Marines." He created his own charity, the Jared Allen's Homes for Wounded Warriors (JAH4WW), in October 2009, in order to build handicapped-accessible homes for severely wounded military personnel returning fromIraq andAfghanistan. His grandfather and younger brother also served in the Marines.[55]
In September 2010, Allen contributed $3,000 toDowney, California, animal shelter SEACCA's reward fund for information leading to an arrest, in connection to a horse being starved and abandoned on a Los Angeles city street.[56]
Allen was featured in the 2010 filmJackass 3D, doing a stunt, alongsideErik Ainge, which features him blindsidingJohnny Knoxville.[57]
On October 27, 2011, Allen's wife, Amy, gave birth to their first child, a girl named Brinley Noelle Allen.[58]
TheAlliance of American Football named Allen as an investor and player relations executive in 2018.[59]
