After spending 12 years in the NFL wreaking havoc on offensive lines, defensive end Jared Allen was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 2. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, was selected to four All-Pro teams, and recorded 136 career sacks.
And for his day, he brought home some serious coin.
How Much Money Did Jared Allen Make in the NFL?
When Allen entered the league in 2004, things were considerably different. Allen made the league minimum, $230,000. It was a humble beginning for a player who would eventually earn $97,862,763 over the course of his career.
Allen entered the draft projected as just the 19th-best defensive end, with some scouts even suggesting he’d be better suited as a long snapper than a pass rusher. The Kansas City Chiefs went against the grain, selecting him in the fourth round.
Allen appeared in 15 games as a rookie, starting 10, and impressed with nine sacks among his 31 tackles. He took another step forward in 2005, starting 15 of 16 games and posting 58 tackles, 11 sacks, five passes defended, six forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. After another strong campaign in 2006, he entered the offseason as a restricted free agent.
In 2007, he signed a $2.35 million, one-year tender offered by the Chiefs, grew a mullet, shaved a racing stripe into the side of his head for each sack he got, and ended up with 15.5 stripes and sacks to lead the league. He made the Pro Bowl and was selected to the All-Pro team.
By 2008, his value had skyrocketed. Kansas City placed the franchise tag on him with an $8.8 million one-year deal, but Allen never suited up for the Chiefs again. Instead, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in a blockbuster deal that netted Kansas City a first-round pick, two third-rounders, and a swap of sixth-round selections in that year’s draft.
The Vikings signed Allen to a six-year, $72.36 million contract ($110 million adjusted for inflation) with a $15.5 million signing bonus ($23.69 million adjusted for inflation), making him the highest-paid defensive player in the league.
Allen thrived in Minnesota, becoming one of the league’s most consistent and feared pass rushers. He played all 16 games in each of his six seasons with the Vikings, averaging 12.4 sacks per year. In 2011, he dominated with a league-leading 22 sacks, just half a sack shy of breaking Michael Strahan’s single-season record. During his time in Minnesota, he earned four more Pro Bowl nods, three All-Pro selections, and never dipped below 11 sacks in a season.
The Chicago Bears brought Allen in on a four-year, $32 million deal with $15.5 million guaranteed. He played the 2014 season in Chicago before being traded early in the 2015 campaign to the Carolina Panthers. With Carolina, Allen helped fuel a dominant defense and was part of the team’s run to Super Bowl 50, his lone appearance on football’s biggest stage.
