Jared Allen: Where is former Chiefs, Vikings Pro Bowl DE now?
MINNEAPOLIS (BVM) – Jared Allen has always had immense football talent. It was proven in high school, and again while playing in college at the FCS level with Idaho State. However, not many expected Allen to put up the numbers he did once he reached the NFL.
With 136 career sacks, Allen was an absolute menace to opposing quarterbacks, starring primarily with the Chiefs and Vikings across his 12 years as a pro. Since retiring, Allen has mainly stayed away from the limelight, but has taken up a new sport while continuing to find success in several different walks of life.
Jared Allen’s early life, college career
Although he was born in Dallas, Allen grew up on a ranch in Morgan Hill, California – just outside of San Jose – where he attended Live Oak High School and later Los Gatos High School for his senior year. Aspiring to play pro football since he was a little kid, Allen proved he had real potential during his senior season at Los Gatos, racking up 96 tackles and 12 sacks.
For college, Allen took his talents to Idaho State University where he starred throughout his four years with the Bengals. Allen was an All-Big Sky selection in his final three seasons at Idaho State, racking up 250 tackles, 38.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, three interceptions and three touchdowns during his time with the Bengals.
As a senior in 2003, Allen became the first Big Sky player to win the Buck Buchanan Award, given each year to the top defensive player at the FCS level. That season, Allen put together an impressive stat line that included 102 tackles, 17.5 sacks, 28 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles.
ISU FBALL great Jared Allen is a semi-finalist for the Pro-Football Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame class will be announced the week leading up to the Super Bowl. Lets take a look back at a few of the highlights from Allen's career at ISU. @IdahoStateFB pic.twitter.com/2IYdzUmYQL
— Idaho State Athletics (@ISUBengals) November 24, 2020
Jared Allen’s NFL career
Allen was selected 126th overall in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Although potentially sought after for his long snapping, Allen quickly made his presence known as a dominant pass rusher with nine sacks in 15 games during his rookie season.
The defensive end bettered that mark with 11 sacks in his second season in 2005, also recovering a league-high six fumbles. In 2006, he racked up a career-high 76 tackles. However, his best season in Kansas City came in his last in 2007, as Allen led the league with 15.5 sacks, and also had the most tackles for loss in the NFL with 19. Allen even went on to catch two touchdowns on offense that year. It was the first of three consecutive seasons in which Allen earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors.
Though his time with us was short, Jared Allen went from being the 126th selection in the #NFLDraft to an elite pass rusher. 👊@KCChiefs_Matt takes a historical look at all of our 4th round draft picks ⬇️
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) April 16, 2019
The remaining two would come as Allen joined the Minnesota Vikings. In April 2008, the Chiefs dealt their emerging star for a first-round pick, two third-round picks – one of which eventually became Chiefs standout running back Jamaal Charles – and a swap of the teams’ sixth-round picks that year. Allen went on to sign a six-year contract with the Vikings worth over $73 million, the richest for a defensive player at the time.
In Minnesota, the defensive end continued to thrive. During the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Allen compiled 14.5 sacks each year, helping the Vikings to the NFC Championship game in 2009. That season, Allen had one of his best career games with 4.5 sacks against a young Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football.
In honor of Jared Allen being inducted into the Vikings ring of honor, here is probably his most dominate performance as a viking.
4.5 sacks on Rodgers and a #Vikings W! #SKOL pic.twitter.com/GjuWps8CXY— Sean Kenner (@SK_NFL) July 29, 2022
By his standards, Allen had a bit of a down year in 2010 with 11 sacks and 60 tackles. However, the 2011 season was perhaps the best of his NFL career, as Allen led the league with 22 sacks – a Vikings single–season record and just one sack shy of Michael Strahan’s league record. The Vikings star also racked up 66 tackles and a career-best 21 tackles for loss, earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors for the fourth time in five years.
The final Pro Bowl season of Allen’s illustrious career came in 2012 as the 6-foot-6, 270-pound pass rusher made 12 sacks. He would compile 11.5 sacks in his final season in Minnesota in 2013. Allen saw his pass-rushing numbers decline while transitioning to outside linebacker as he joined the Chicago Bears in 2014. After three games with the Bears in 2015, Allen was traded to the Carolina Panthers where he won an NFC championship and had the opportunity to play in Super Bowl 50, which would be the final game of his NFL career.
In 2016, Allen signed a one-day contract with the Vikings and retired at 34 years old. He officially announced the decision a couple of months earlier with a fitting video on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/jaredallen69/status/700340328729935872
Allen concluded a tremendous 12-year NFL career with 136 sacks, currently 12th best all time in NFL history. He also amassed 648 tackles, 171 tackles for loss and 32 forced fumbles.
Happy 39th birthday to @JaredAllen69!
🤠 5x Pro Bowler
🤠 4x First-Team All-Pro
🤠 136.0 career sacks
🤠 2x NFL sacks leader (2007, 2011) pic.twitter.com/UDqmoqH6dy— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) April 3, 2021
Jared Allen’s net worth, personal life and achievements
Allen made nearly $98 million in career earnings during his 12 years in the NFL. His net worth is estimated to be around $35 million.
The five-time Pro Bowl player is married to his wife, Amy, and the couple has two girls, Brinley and Lakelyn.
In 2020, Allen was inducted into the Big Sky Hall of Fame. In July 2022, it was announced that Allen would be inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor during halftime of the team’s Week 8 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.
After Jared Allen addressed the team, the #Vikings informed him he’ll be their 2022 Ring of Honor inductee. pic.twitter.com/gjO1LB4ucI
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) July 29, 2022
Jared Allen’s curling career
In 2018, Allen took up curling with the goal of someday making an Olympic team, trying to win a bet with a friend who said he could never become an Olympian. Thanks to another friend in former NHL player Lou Nanne, Allen got in touch with former Olympic curler John Benton. Alongside good friend and former NFL quarterback Marc Bulger, Allen formed the All-Pro Curling Team, a squad comprised of former NFL players. Joining Allen and Bulger were a couple of ex-Tennessee Titans: Michael Roos and Keith Bulluck.
Back in Minnesota for a couple days of curling. Thanks @Jess_Curls for the wisdom! @JaredAllen69 @MichaelRoos @kbull53 @CurlingAll pic.twitter.com/pBHr6JokHY
— Marc Bulger (@MarcBulger10) May 8, 2019
Eventually, Allen joined the team of Todd Birr, getting to learn from a former national champion and world medalist. Allen competed with the team at the United States Men’s Curling Championship held in Wausau, Wisconsin in 2021.
Jared Allen’s post-playing life
During his playing career in 2010, Allen made an appearance in the film “Jackass 3D” alongside Erik Ainge and Johnny Knoxville. You likely won’t find Allen doing something like that in retirement, as he has largely stayed out of the limelight. Yet, the 40-year-old has still been busy.
In 2009, Allen, along with some other NFL players, took a USO trip to U.S. military bases in the Middle East. When he returned, Allen was inspired to create his own charity called Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors, which helps make the lives of wounded veterans easier when they return home by remodeling homes, allowing them to be more accessible. In the decade-plus of its existence, Allen’s charity has helped remodel over 20 homes.
https://twitter.com/JaredAllen69/status/1321848681222602756
Allen and his wife have also gotten into the culinary scene in recent years, opening a restaurant called The Lodge Sasquatch Kitchen near the Arizona State University campus. Allen has also published a recipe book, appropriately named “The Quarterback Killer’s Cookbook.”
Other activities in Allen’s retirement include being an advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and raising funds through his “Sack Diabetes” program, investing and being named a player relations exec in the former Alliance of American Football League, and becoming a frequent big game hunter. Allen also has his own website promoting his post-NFL ventures.
Meanwhile, Allen has made it known that he doesn’t watch a lot of NFL football anymore.
"I really don't watch that much anymore.. it's a much different game than when we played. At it's core the NFL is great, I'd just like to see some more old school guys" ~@JaredAllen69 on the state of the NFL#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/q5zT0tabAp
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 24, 2021
Yet, he still does remain close to his former Vikings squad. Early last offseason, Allen joked about earning an interview for Minnesota’s head-coaching vacancy.
Someone tell the Wilfs to give Jared Allen a call pic.twitter.com/rtRIYNqkoH
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) January 20, 2022
In the months following, he has clearly taken to head coach Kevin O’Connell and the new regime in Minnesota after being invited to speak to the team in training camp when he learned of his Ring of Honor induction.
Perhaps the final chapter of Allen’s NFL story will come when he is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Being nominated the past couple of years, it seems likely that will happen sooner than later.
In the meantime, Allen will continue living the good life in retirement, something well deserved after an exceptional NFL career.
