Having been released, Jonathan Allen is free to visit interested teams prior to the start of the new league year. The Pro Bowl defensive tackle will do just that on Monday.
Allen has a visit lined up with the Vikings, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Minnesota was recently floated as a potential landing spot, so this latest update comes as little surprise. The Vikings entered Monday with over $61MM in cap space.
Being tied to the 49ers as well, Allen should command a solid third contract. After Grady Jarrett spent only hours as a cap casualty before joining the Bears on a three-year, $43.5MM deal, Allen figures to set a high floor. Going into an age-30 season, Allen is nearly two years younger than Jarrett.
Although Allen is coming off a season-altering injury — a partial pectoral tear — he made it back in time to help the Commanders make one of the most surprising trips to the conference championship game in NFL history. Allen also has two Pro Bowls on his resume, helping Washington while Chase Young missed over a year due to a severe knee injury. Allen combined for 16.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss during his Pro Bowl 2021 and ’22 seasons, but the Commanders decided to cut bait on his $18MM-per-year deal before its final year.
Minnesota has not yet made a notable addition on its defensive line. The team, however, has regulars Jonathan Bullard and Jerry Tillery in free agency. Harrison Phillips returns, but an Allen addition would certainly provide a boost to the Vikes’ interior pass rush. It will be interesting to see if suitors beyond Minnesota and San Francisco emerge, as Allen will enter Tuesday as one of the top players available.
Adam La Rose contributed to this post.