Former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, a finalist for the Hall of Fame, was not named to the 2021 Class, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press first reported.
Allen was one of 15 finalists for this year’s class. He joined QB Peyton Manning, DB Charles Woodson and WR Calvin Johnson as players to be selected as finalists in their first year of eligibility.
Allen earning finalist honors in his first year of eligibility is a positive sign. He’ll have to wait until at least next year to find out if he does eventually get into the Hall of Fame, though.
For the Vikings, Allen arrived via trade after he played for the Chiefs. The defensive end tallied 22 sacks in 2011 and had more than 14 sacks in three different seasons with the Vikings.
Allen was a part of the 2009 Vikings team that made it to the NFC Championship before losing in heartbreaking fashion to the Saints. Allen was never able to bring a Super Bowl to Minnesota, but his tenacious play and absurd stats will go down in history.
Corrections/Clarifications: An earlier version of this article misidentified Allen’s arrival to Minnesota. He came over via trade.