Not everyone can play for a single team their entire career and end it the same place like we witnessed with Kobe Bryant Wednesday night in Los Angeles, but that doesn’t mean you can’t finish it all where your heart resides.
Perennial Pro-Bowl DE Jared Allen signed a one-day contract with the Minnesota Vikings Friday, and will officially retire tomorrow, when the contract is terminated, retiring a Viking.
Though he was originally drafted by the Chiefs, Allen shot into stardom in Minnesota, signing with the team after 4 seasons in Kansas City via the richest defensive contract ever at the time.
Allen was elected to five Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams in his six seasons with the Vikings, during which he posted 83.5 sacks with the team. He ranks third in team history in sacks, and he came within a half-sack of Michael Strahan’s single-season record in 2011.
“You go through life, and there’s a maturation process,” Allen said. “I made some mistakes early in my career, and you learn from those and you grow from them. Minnesota was a place that helped me grow as a man. … When I got there, I was in the process of changing some habits and growing up. To have guys that are doing it right around you is phenomenal.”
The defensive end played his final season in Carolina, reaching the Super Bowl with the Panthers.
(ESPN)
