Jared Allen Rides Off Into Sunset, Is He a Borderline Hall of Famer?

Jared Allen, who reached the Super Bowl for the first time in his career as a member of the Carolina Panthers, announced his retirement in a very headline-grabbing way. In his 12-year career, the defensive end also played for the Bears, Vikings, and Chiefs. Allen led the NFL in sacks in 2007 and 2011 (in the latter year he had 22, which is tied for the 2nd most in an NFL season in league history).

As ESPN Stats and Info pointed out, his 136 career sacks place him at 9th all-time. It’s a fair bet that Allen will at least be considered for the Hall of Fame. It helps his case that his wild spirit is the embodiment of how a lot of people see football players, and, cynically, that his transgressions occurred off the field as opposed to being of the locker room distraction variety.