Former Vikings sack machine one step closer to football immortality
By Adam Patrick
Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen is a 2021 finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Thanks to an underwhelming pass rush, the Minnesota Vikings finished the 2020 season with just 23 sacks. This total is tied for the third-fewest ever by a Vikings team and it is only one more than the total that former Minnesota pass rusher, Jared Allen, was able to accumulate in 2011 when he finished with 22 sacks.
Speaking of Allen, the former Vikings defensive end got some great news on Tuesday when it was announced that he was among the 2021 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Allen spent 12 years in the league, including six in Minnesota. He played for a total of four teams, but it was with the Vikings where he experienced the majority of his success in the NFL.
Will Jared Allen be the next Minnesota Vikings Hall of Famer?
If Allen ends up becoming one of the 2021 inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he could be a part of a historic class.
Along with the former Minnesota pass rusher, some of the other 2021 finalists for the Hall of Fame are guys like Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Ronde Barber, and Torry Holt.
If Allen earns a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer, it will be the sixth time in the last seven years that at least one former Vikings player has been given a gold jacket and a bronze bust.
Speaking of the bronze bust, Allen’s might be one to challenge Randy Moss‘ for the best hairstyle. The former Minnesota pass rusher sported a mullet during his time with the team and no one would be shocked if a request was made for his bust to feature his trademark “business in the front, party in the back” hairstyle.
It also wouldn’t be shocking if Allen earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. During his pro career, he established himself as one of the best pass rushers to ever play in the NFL, and the 136 career-sacks he registered currently ranks as the 12th-most in the history of the league.
One of the most important questions to come out of all of this is whenever Allen actually gets voted into the Hall of Fame, will he be given a sleeveless gold jacket?