Jared Allen career timeline: How former NFL star went from Idaho State to Hall of Fame

In his prime, Jared Allen was one of the fiercest pass rushers in the NFL.

The defensive end was a fourth-round pick out of a small school, but he turned into a top defender who would go on the make the Hall of Fame. Allen played for four teams in his career, but he most notably starred with the Chiefs and Vikings and broke records with both of those clubs.

Allen's path through the NFL is an incredible rise, but he dominated the competition at every level he played. Here's a look back at Allen's career timeline and rise to success in the NFL.

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Jared Allen career timeline

Idaho State (2000-03)

Jared Allen attended small-school Idaho State in college, playing four years in the Big Sky conference with dominant production. In his senior season in 2003, Allen totaled 17.5 sacks, 102 tackles, 28 tackles-for-loss, and six forced fumbles, becoming the first-ever Big Sky player to win the Buck Buchanan Award as the best defensive player in the FCS. 

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Kansas City Chiefs (2004-07)

The Chiefs drafted Allen in the fourth round out of Idaho State in 2004, and the rookie immediately contributed with nine sacks in his first season. In his four seasons in Kansas City, Allen became one of the best pass rushers in the league, producing 43.0 total sacks, including a league-leading 15.5 in 2007.

From 4th rounder to All-Pro, Jared Allen was sure fun to watch! pic.twitter.com/xmmRKSzlB0

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) April 15, 2020

In 2007, Allen made his first Pro Bowl and was named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career. After the season, the Chiefs put the franchise tag on Allen, who was set to hit free agency, but they ultimately chose to trade him instead of signing him long-term.

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Minnesota Vikings (2008-13)

Upon his trade to Minnesota, Allen signed a six-year, $73 million deal with the Vikings to become one of the highest-paid players in the league. Allen would play out the full length of the deal, producing at a high level for the Vikings, making four Pro Bowls and being named a first-team All-Pro three times in six years.

Allen collected double-digit sacks in each of his six seasons with the Vikings, which includes a league-leading and franchise-leading 22 sacks in 2011. He came just half a sack shy of breaking Michael Strahan's single-season sack record, totaling 3.5 sacks in the final game of the 2011 season.

Jared Allen needed 4 sacks in Week 17 of the 2011 season to tie Michael Strahan's single-season sack record.

He got 3.5.

But rewind to what happened Week 10.

And the record is his.

📺: https://t.co/hKIgETWltN pic.twitter.com/ww2Q5sokGp

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) July 31, 2025

Allen's 85.5 sacks in Minnesota are his most with any team, and he never missed a game for the Vikings as he played in 16 games every season.

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Chicago Bears (2014-15)

As a free agent for the first time in 2014, Allen chose to sign a four-year deal with the Bears worth $32 million at 32-years-old. However, while still a solid player, Allen's production began to decrease. He had the worst season of his career that year with just 5.5 sacks in 15 games for Chicago.

The Bears hired a new coaching staff in 2015, which led to Allen playing outside linebacker after years of being a defensive end. Just three games into the season, and with Chicago sitting at 0-3, the Bears traded Allen to the Panthers for a draft pick.

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Carolina Panthers (2015)

Allen spent the majority of his final season in Carolina, where the Panthers went 15-1 and made the Super Bowl. Allen totaled just two sacks in 12 games as a rotational pass rusher, allowing him to play in his only Super Bowl at the end of the season.

In his final game, which was Super Bowl 50 against the Broncos, Allen had just one tackle in the loss. After the season, Allen decided to retire as he dealt with a foot injury, signing a one-day contract to retire as a Viking.

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Jared Allen career stats