The Chicago Bears’ defense gets a major boost with the addition of defensive end Jared Allen.
Allen spent the past six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, and he had 52 tackles and 11.5 sacks last year according to the Chicago Tribune. Before going to Minnesota, Allen played for the Kansas City Chiefs from the time he was drafted in 2004 until he was traded to the Vikings in 2008.
He’s been to the Pro Bowl five times and been voted first team All Pro four times.
In his deal with the Bears, Allen becomes the team’s defensive player with the highest average-per-year pay. His deal calls for $32 million over four years with $15.5 million guaranteed.
Allen took to Facebook on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 to thank his former Vikings teammates, coaches and staff for their time together.
“I am very excited about this next chapter in my career with the Chicago Bears,” his post said, “and can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.”
A statement on ChicagoBears.com was also enthusiastic about Allen joining the team.
“We’re really excited about adding Jared to our football team,” said coach Marc Trestman. “We know what his abilities bring to the table. Jared is certainly a very experienced player in the league. We believe he’s going to come in hungry and excited to be part of our football team, and we believe he’ll fit right in with the other new players that we’ve added and the guys that are already on the defensive side of the ball. I know that our defensive coaches are excited as well.”
Allen’s official intro as a Bear was expected to happen at a news conference set for Monday, March 31.
