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Carl Peterson, Herm Edwards talk about Jared Allen trade
Ever since negotiations for a long-term contract broke off last year, Jared Allen’s departure from the Chiefs carried a sense of inevitability.
It happened Tuesday night when the Chiefs agreed to trade their Pro Bowl defensive end to the Minnesota Vikings, a source said.
Allen went to Minnesota on Tuesday night to sign one of the largest contracts ever for a defensive player — six years for just less than $74 million with more than $31 million guaranteed.
The Chiefs are expected to receive Minnesota’s first-round pick (No. 17) and both the Vikings’ third-round picks (73rd and 82nd). It would give the Chiefs six picks in the first 82 players in this weekend’s draft and 13 total picks. The Chiefs also have one choice in the fourth and two each in the fifth, sixth and seventh rounds.
The teams also discussed swapping picks in either the fifth, sixth or seventh rounds.
The Chiefs would not confirm the trade, and president/general manager Carl Peterson and coach Herm Edwards were unavailable.
Having six picks in the first three rounds almost certainly will change the Chiefs’ draft strategy. With only one first-round pick, the Chiefs were almost locked into drafting an offensive lineman to fill one of their voids in the starting lineup.
They now have the flexibility to do many things. They could opt to draft Allen’s replacement, possibly Virginia’s Chris Long or Ohio State’s Vernon Gholston, with the fifth pick. Then they could then get an offensive lineman by bundling picks to move up from the 17th spot or they could select one using the 17th pick.
The Chiefs, who purged their roster of many veterans since the end of their 4-12 season, also need several other offensive linemen, receivers and cornerbacks and could use help at several other positions. Addressing all of those needs now won’t be a problem.
Whatever they do, replacing Allen won’t be easy. An unheralded fourth-round draft pick from tiny Idaho State when he joined the Chiefs in 2004, Allen quickly established himself as one of their best defensive players.
He emerged last year as one of the league’s dominant players. He led the NFL in sacks with 15 ½ despite missing the season’s first two games after being suspended for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
Allen had been arrested twice in Johnson County for DUI.
“I think Jared Allen is probably the Chiefs’ best player,” former Chiefs quarterback Ron Jaworski, now a television analyst for ESPN and ABC said before the trade had been completed. “I’m surprised they’re willing to give him up.
“In 14 games last season, he had 15 1/2 sacks. That’s incredible production. You can see why the Vikings have this keen interest in Jared Allen. If you look at the Vikings’ defense, obviously terrific against the run a year ago and suspect against the pass.
“The best pass coverage is a pass rush. That was evidenced in the Super Bowl by the New York Giants and how what I would consider an average secondary did a terrific job because of their pass rush pressure. If you look at the Minnesota Vikings, if they could acquire Jared Allen it would be a huge boost to their defense.”
Allen quickly became a fan favorite at Arrowhead Stadium. He achieved many of his sacks more with all-out effort than incredible athletic ability, and that style seemed to suit the Chiefs and their fans.
His popularity once seemed to dip after the arrests, but last season he was more popular than ever. Not only did Allen lead the league in sacks, but the Chiefs late in the season took to using Allen as an extra tight end in goal-line situations.
He caught touchdown passes in games against San Diego and Detroit to the delight of Chiefs’ faithful.
His relationship with the Chiefs was harmed last year and, as it turned out, irreparably so. Allen believed the Chiefs reneged on promises to sign him to a long-term contract and asked for a trade when such an offer never materialized.
He played last season for $2.35 million on a one-year contract. The sides never came close to reaching agreement on a long-term deal this year and the Chiefs designated him their franchise player.
That required a one-year contract offer of about $8.9 million but didn’t keep Allen off the market.
Minnesota, Tampa Bay and Jacksonville recently inquired about a trade for Allen. The Jaguars dropped out of the discussions, but Allen met with the Vikings in Minnesota over the weekend, and the trade and contract details with Minnesota were completed before Allen visited with Tampa Bay.
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