Jared Allen Believes 2013 Will Be His Last With Minnesota Vikings
By Josh Sanchez
Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen is set to play out the final year of his six-year, $73.26 million contract, and the lack of talks regarding a contract extension leaves the veteran pass rusher believing that he is entering his final year with the Vikings.
"Allen is 31 years old and saw his sack total go from 22 in 2011 to 12 last season in large part because he was dealing with shoulder and knee problems. He is entering his 10th NFL season and the fact he rarely is willing to come off the field means there is plenty of tread on the right end’s tires.Allen likely will get one more big contract but it’s hard to believe that will come from Spielman and Co. The Vikings are proving again this offseason that more often than not they prefer to reward players based on potential rather than reward guys for what they have done. That is the wise thing to do."
The Vikings could be in some real trouble next offseason. Five of the top players in their defensive line rotation — Allen and fellow defensive ends Brian Robison and Everson Griffen, along with defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Fred Evans — are all set to become free agents following the season.
Minnesota will have to sort out their priorities and figure which players they will keep and who they will let walk. Allen figures to be one of the players on the outs, while Griffen will likely be at the top of the Vikings list of priorities.