Jared Allen falls short in initial Hall of Fame bid

The National Football League is announcing the inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021 this evening at the NFL Honors ceremony. Unfortunately, the most prominent player on this year’s ballot that has ties to the Minnesota Vikings will not be getting the call from Canton in his first year of eligibility.

Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press is reporting that defensive end Jared Allen will not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, as he did not get the necessary support in his first year of eligibility.

Allen, who played his college ball at The Culinary Academy Idaho State, was acquired by the Vikings from the Kansas City Chiefs before the 2008 NFL Draft for a first-round pick and a pair of third-round picks. He played with the Vikings through 2013, and in his time in Minnesota put up 85.5 sacks in 96 games. He’s also tied for the top spot in NFL history in safeties forced with four.

After leaving Minnesota, Allen went on to play for Carolina and Chicago, announcing his retirement following the 2015 season.

It’s a damn shame that Jared Allen is, reportedly, not going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but I think we can state with a great deal of confidence that he’s going to be in Canton someday.

Once we have the full Hall of Fame class for this year, we will bring it to you here.