Jared Allen: A deal the Vikings need to make

By Jonathan Mohr  |   Friday, April 18, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Minnesota Vikings
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The Herschel Walker deal was the worst trade in the history of the Minnesota Vikings and one of the worst ever in professional sports.

But if the reports that surfaced Thursday are true and the Vikings have the inside track to add Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen to their roster before next weekend’s NFL draft, not doing so would rank right up there with the organization’s all-time gaffes.

If you occupy one of the points in the Vikings much-maligned Triangle of Authority (Brad Childress, Rick Spielman and Rob Brzezinski), how do you not make this move? The team’s biggest need is a defensive end who can pressure the quarterback and last year’s NFL sack leader (15.5) is currently available at a price you can afford.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of the deal from the Vikings’ perspective

It’s no secret Minnesota covets a player who can line up next to Pat Williams and Kevin Williams along the defensive line and spend time each week harassing the opposing team’s quarterback. Minnesota's Tampa 2 defensive philosophy puts a premium on such a player.

Allen has 43 sacks in 61 career games and has forced 13 fumbles. He may not be the top pass-rushing defensive end in the NFL, but he certainly belongs in any discussion about those players, and he’s just 26 years old.

The 2008 season will be Allen’s fifth in the NFL, a perfect fit for the type of player Minnesota has said it now focuses on adding during free agency -- guys just beginning to make their mark in the league and approaching the prime years of their careers.

If the Vikings can acquire Allen for a first-round pick and one of its two third-round picks in the draft (as some media outlets have reported), that’s a deal the team has to make. It’s no secret Minnesota would love to have landed one of the top defensive ends from this year’s draft class. The problem is, the elite guys were not going to be there when the Vikings picked at No. 17.

What would it take to move up for a guy like Vernon Gholston, or even Derrick Harvey? Most likely a third-round pick at the very least. And those guys might be Hall of Famers, or they might be busts. The truth is, nobody knows.

Allen has proven himself in the NFL. It will take a lot of money to sign him, but owner Zygi Wilf has it and has shown he’s not afraid to spend it.

The risk the Vikings take with Allen is the off-field troubles he has had because of multiple drunken driving arrests. He was suspended for the first two games of the 2007 season for that reason and may be just one more bad decision away from a yearlong ban.

That’s certainly an issue the Vikings need to look into, and if indications are that Allen hasn’t gotten his act together, then the team would be right to back away from him. But if Minnesota gets the assurances it needs, whether from others close to Allen or from the player himself – who will reportedly visit the Twin Cities either Friday or Saturday – then it’s a risk worth taking.

Several times already this offseason the Vikings have been left at the altar by free-agent defensive ends scheduled to come visit, only to decide at the last minute to sign with the teams that brought them in before Minnesota had its chance.

This time it sounds like the Vikings may actually have the upper hand with a player more productive than any of the others they’ve courted since the season ended.

If Jared Allen gets off a plane in Minnesota sometime in the next few days, the Vikings can’t afford to let him board another without an official place on their roster.
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About Jonathan Mohr

A lifelong Vikings fan, I live in the Twin Cities area (about a mile from Winter Park) and work as an editor at a boating magazine. As with all long-suffering Vikings fans, I patiently look forward to the day when Minnesota finally breaks through and wins a Super Bowl. Until then I eat my...
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