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Steve Hutchinson arrived at Jared Allen’s house to knock on his door and tell his former teammate he’d be a part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025. Hutchinson, also a Hall of Famer, commented how there were fun times ahead for them in Canton. 

“I’m not sure Canton is ready for this redneck,” Allen said. 

That’s a good way to sum up Allen, who grew up on a horse ranch in California. He was entertaining as a player, with 136 career sacks during stints with the Vikings, Chiefs, Bears and Panthers, and also unapologetically himself. His famous calf roping celebration after sacks was a part of who he was, and maybe the most memorable part of a great career. 

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“Authenticity. I think I left authenticity,” Allen said, when asked during the Hall of Fame “knock” segment what he left the game. “I don’t know how to fake anything. It’s probably why I can’t be a politician.”

He did that sack celebration often, as one of the best pass rushers in NFL history. 

Jared Allen had an unlikely path

Idaho State had never had a Pro Bowl player in the NFL before Allen. Now the Bengals have a Pro Football Hall of Famer. 

Allen was a dominant player at Idaho State but still a bit of a mystery entering the NFL, having played at an FCS program. He was a fourth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2004, at 126th overall. 

He’d quickly make a name for himself in the NFL. He had nine sacks as a rookie, giving a glimpse of what was to come. He had 11 sacks his second season and 7.5 his third season but didn’t make a Pro Bowl in any of his first three seasons. It took him a while to get his proper due. That would prepare him for his Hall of Fame wait. 

Allen did make the Pro Bowl his fourth season when he had an NFL-best 15.5 sacks. That was the first of seven straight seasons with double-digit sacks. Allen’s best season was 2011, after he had joined the Vikings, when he led the league with 22 sacks and finished second in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting. That season marked his fourth time being a first-team All-Pro.

Usually, 136 sacks, five Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pro honors over a 12-year career would be enough for a quick election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But Allen had to wait a bit. 

Allen had to wait for Hall call

When Hutchinson showed up to offer Allen the news, Allen’s authentic self came out. 

“Longtime overdue,” Hutchinson said. 

“I agree. I agree,” Allen replied. “I thought it was going to be like three years ago.” 

Allen’s 136 sacks are tied for 16th all time. Of the 15 players with more, 14 are in the Hall of Fame and the 15th is Terrell Suggs, who was a finalist in February but wasn’t voted in during his first year of eligibility. Allen making it in seemed like an inevitability, though he was passed over the first four times he was on the ballot. 

Allen’s career had an interesting turn. He was an established star with the Chiefs, but Kansas City traded him to the Vikings for a first-round pick and two third-round picks before the 2008 season. He played six seasons with the Vikings and posted 85.5 sacks for them. He had a memorable legacy with two franchises. 

Allen went to the Bears for a little more than a season after leaving the Vikings and, early in the 2015 season, he was traded to the Panthers. Carolina went 15-1 and made the Super Bowl, although it lost to the Broncos in that game. That was Allen’s last game. He announced his retirement in a fitting way, posting a video to Twitter of him riding off on the back of a horse. 

“Well everyone, I just want to say thank you for an amazing 12-year career,” Allen said on the video. “This was the part where I was supposed to ride into the sunset, but since there’s no sunset — I’m just going to ride off.”

Allen’s ride now includes a stop in Canton.