This was a great weekend for former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen. The prolific pass rusher was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025 on Saturday and gave one heck of a speech.
Allen has some amazing charisma, and his personality shone brightly during his speech. He took time to thank the Vikings organization, but made sure to mention every organization with which he spent time in the NFL.
Former Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Jared Allen couldn't resist taking a jab at the Chicago Bears during his Pro Football Hall of Fame speech
Although he didn't say a bad word about the Minnesota Vikings, it is hard to ignore what Jared Allen had to say about the other clubs on his resume. In particular, his words about the Chicago Bears were exceptionally interesting.
"The Bears, eh, well, I'm teasing. When you blow your back out, catch pneumonia, only have five sacks, I don't think they were too happy either. But you cannot have the game of football without the Halas family, so thank you so much."
A four-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl defender, Allen spent time with the Bears in 2014 and 2015. With Chicago, he played in 18 games, where he registered 5.5 sacks and recovered two fumbles.
Jared Allen's stints with the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers are mostly forgettable, but they also make up the tail end of his Hall of Fame career. It's nice he can joke about his time with Minnesota's division rival since his time there was disappointing for everyone involved.
Another interesting thing is that Chicago tried something different with Allen. A defensive end with Kansas City and Minnesota, the Bears attempted to try the dynamic pass rusher as a linebacker in their 3-4 defense. It was odd not seeing him come off the edge in a 4-3 defense.
They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but the real question is why you would want to. Jared Allen is one of the most prolific defensive ends to ever play in the NFL, sitting at No. 12 on the official all-time sacks list with 136, it's hard to deny the impact he could make on football games.
Interestingly, Allen is behind fellow Vikings legends Chris Doleman (150.5) and John Randle (137.5) on that list, proving how great the history of the Minnesota Vikings defense has been.