The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced Modern-Era semifinalists for their Class of 2021.
Only one former Kansas City Chiefs player has made it to the group of 25 semi-finalists. Jared Allen is one of just four first-year eligible players to be selected as a semifinalist along with Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson and Charles Woodson.
Allen was a fourth-round draft pick by the Chiefs in 2004 out of Idaho State and he exceeded all expectations with the team. He started 10 games as a rookie, recording 31 total tackles, nine sacks, and 10 tackles for loss. In 2007, Allen had the best season of his career to that point. He led the NFL in sacks with 15.5 and earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.
Unfortunately, Allen wouldn’t last long in Kansas City. In 2008, Allen was traded to the Vikings for a haul of draft picks, including the one that was used to draft running back Jamaal Charles. Allen played for eight seasons after leaving the Chiefs with stops in Minnesota, Chicago and Carolina before retiring officially in February of 2016 with an epic retirement video.
When it was all said and done, Allen would be a four-time First-Team All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowler, and a two-time NFL sack leader. He tallied 136 sacks during his career, which is currently good for No. 12 on the all-time list.
The next step in the selection process is to trim this group down to 15 Modern-Era semifinalists. Eventually, it’ll be whittled down to just five Modern-Era players. The group originally was comprised of 130 players. The 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame class will be decided and announced during the week leading up to Super Bowl LV.
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