The defensive line market in free agency continues to see quite a bit of money getting thrown around on it, and the latest to receive a big payday is veteran Jonathan Allen.
Allen, who was released last week by the Washington Commanders, reportedly agreed to a three-year, $60 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings Tuesday morning, taking another potential defensive line target for the Pittsburgh Steelers off the board.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter had the news first and tweeted it moments ago.
A first-round pick of Washington at No. 17 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, Allen put together an impressive career with Washington before being released. Across 109 career games, Allen has 401 tackles, 60 tackles for loss, 42.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception.
The Alabama product earned trips to the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022 during seasons in which he recorded 9.0 and 7.5 sacks, respectively.
The Commanders had given Allen permission to seek a trade on Jan. 30, but were unable to find takers, resulting in the veteran defensive tackle being cut loose.
Allen is coming off an injury-filled 2024 season, which limited him to eight games. Allen tore his pectoral muscle in Week 6 but was activated in Week 17 to play in the playoffs. He finished the year with just 19 tackles and three sacks.
A potential reunion with former Alabama defensive line coach Karl Dunbar in Pittsburgh made quite a bit of sense initially, as the Steelers have a significant need along the defensive line, especially after cutting veteran Larry Ogunjobi. But Allen never seemed to show much interest in the Steelers as he visited the Vikings and quickly came to a deal with Minnesota, landing with former Steelers linebackers coach Brian Flores, who is the Vikings’ defensive coordinator.
Across eight NFL seasons, Allen has played 5,211 snaps and has generated 311 total pressures and 230 run stops, according to Pro Football Focus.
