Jared Allen

Jared Scot Allen (born April 3, 1982) is an American football defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). Allen played college football for Idaho State University, and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. A five-time Pro Bowl selection and four-time All-Pro, Allen has tallied 117 sacks during his career, which began in 2004.

Early years
Allen was born in Dallas, Texas and raised in San Jose, California. His father, Ron, was once on the training camp roster of the Minnesota Vikings and played in the United States Football League.

High school
Allen was a one-year letter winner at Los Gatos High School, under coach Butch Cattolico; his other two seasons were at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California. As a senior, 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 member of Who’s Who in Sport. 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.

College
Allen started 33 of 41 games during his career at Idaho State. The three-time All-Big Sky Conference selection finished his career with 250 tackles, 38.5 sacks, 73 stops for losses, seven fumble recoveries, three touchdowns, 13 forced fumbles, three interceptions, 26 pass deflections, and one blocked kick.

As a freshman in 2000, Allen was originally slated to redshirt 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 started. 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 1-AA All-American by the Associated 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 the Buck 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 the Big Sky Conference leaders in several defensive categories. Allen, a First-team Division 1-AA All-America and All-Big Sky 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.

Kansas City Chiefs
Allen was drafted by the Chiefs in the fourth round (126th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft, and made the league minimum his first three years. On May 21, 2007, Allen, as a restricted free agent, signed the Chiefs' one-year tender offer of $2.35 million for the 2007 season. Allen credited his early 2007 season success to his mullet. With every quarterback sack Allen made, he was expected to shave a "racing stripe" into his hairstyle. On December 2, 2007, Allen caught a touchdown pass against divisional rival San Diego. On December 23, 2007, Allen caught another touchdown pass against the Detroit Lions.

Allen was elected as starting defensive end for the American Football Conference in the 2007 Pro Bowl. He led the NFL in sacks (15.5) for 2007. Allen was also the selected All-Pro team for 2007.

In February 2008, the Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Allen, giving him a one-year, $8.8 million salary for 2008.

Minnesota Vikings
On April 22, 2008, the Chiefs traded Allen to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a first-round pick, which they used to select OT Branden Albert, and two third-round picks, one of which was used to take Jamaal Charles, and swapped sixth-round picks in the 2008 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. Allen was due an $8 million roster bonus in 2010, per the six-year, US$72.36 million contract he signed with the Vikings, and his signing bonus was $15.5 million.

During the 2008 season, Allen recorded 54 tackles, along with 14.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles, while battling both knee and shoulder injuries throughout the season. He was named First-team All-Pro and selected to his second Pro Bowl. His first sack as a Viking was in a game against the Indianapolis Colts, when he sacked quarterback Peyton Manning. In his first playoff game as a Viking, Allen recorded three tackles, along with two sacks and a forced fumble. Allen also forced a safety when he chased Dan Orlovsky out of the end zone during a game against the Detroit Lions, and he forced another safety in the week 10 game against the Green Bay Packers, when he sacked Aaron Rodgers in the end zone.

On October 5, 2009, against the Green 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 the St. Louis Rams, he returned a fumble 52 yards, for the first defensive touchdown of his career. He also made the 2009 Pro Bowl, as the starting defensive end for the NFC team.

Allen started the 2010 season slow, 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 Detroit, Allen scored his second career defensive touchdown, a 36 yard interception return. In 2011, Allen returned to Kansas City, where his former team, the Chiefs, home field was. The Vikings would go on to barely lose 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 the Chicago Bears, Allen sacked Josh McCown 3.5 times, but fell .5 sacks short of the NFL record held by former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan. Allen appeared on NFL'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. Allen fell 7 votes short of winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. On October 2, 2012, Allen was fined $7,875 for grabbing Tampa Bay Buccaneers lineman Donald Penn's facemask.

Career statistics
Source: NFL.com

Legal troubles
Allen has been arrested/charged for DUI a total of three times. The first was in Pocatello, Idaho, on May 11, 2002. He was then arrested twice within five months in Leawood, 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.

In March 2007, Allen voiced his displeasure with the Chiefs' refusal to give him a long-term contract extension. No offers were made for Allen throughout free-agency due to the Chiefs' high tender for his trade (two first-round draft picks). On April 27, 2007, Allen was suspended for the first four games of the 2007 Chiefs' season, and he returned to the Chiefs saying he "will do everything [he] can to help bring a championship back to the great fans of KC." On May 22, Allen signed a one-year contract worth $2.35 million, but was liable to forfeit $552,941 of his contract because of a four-game suspension for driving under the influence. On July 16, Allen's suspension was reduced to two games following an appeal, and thus he forfeited $287,500 of his 2007 salary.

Personal life
Allen serves as an advocate for the Juvenile 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. He is an avid hunter, and has interviewed with Field & Stream. He was among four NFL players that were sent overseas on a 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 4 Wounded Warriors, in October 2009, in order to build handicapped-accessible homes for severely wounded military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. His grandfather and younger brother also served in the Marines.

He currently resides in Chanhassen, MN.

In September 2010, Allen contributed $3,000 to Downey, 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.

He was also featured in the 2010 film Jackass 3D, doing a stunt which features him blindsiding Johnny Knoxville.

On October 27, 2011, Allen's wife Amy gave birth to their first child, a girl named Brinley Noelle Allen.