This week, the players eligible for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced, and a familiar former Minnesota Viking has a good chance at returning to the ballot.
Defensive end Jared Allen has failed to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first four years eligible for the prestigious title, even though he has been a finalist each year. Unfortunately, he has not reached the 80% threshold required to be inducted into Canton.
Allen, who played 13 seasons in the NFL, was with the Vikings for six seasons from 2008 to 2013. He was their leading sack leader and a vocal voice in the locker room. During his time with the Vikings, Allen was selected to four Pro Bowls and the AP All-Pro team four times.
He led the league in sacks in 2011 but fell .5 sacks short of Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record. Allen totaled 136 sacks during his 12-year career, which is good for 12th on the official all-time sack leader list.
Allen was also inducted into the Vikings Ring Of Honor in 2022, becoming the 27th member of the exclusive club and the seventh defensive lineman to be inducted into the group filled with Vikings legends like John Randle and Alan Page.
So, how isn’t Allen in the NFL Hall of Fame? He has a resume, awards, and statistics, and he has a period in his career when he was arguably the best player at his position.
The answer is not straightforward. There is no doubt that Allen will be making his way to Canton at some point. At the same time, with players like Dwight Freeney and Derrick Thomas recently getting in before Allen, despite having lower sack totals and fewer All-Pro team selections, it is curious why the Viking legend has had to wait.
Nevertheless, Allen’s time will come when he is inducted. He is one of the best pass rushers ever to play the game and has all the requirements to get himself into the Pro Football Hall of Fame . For Allen, the thought process has always been a matter of when and not if, which remains true.
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