You can look at what the Kansas City Chiefs got in the trade of defensive end Jared Allen to the Minnesota Vikings and say the team came away with quite a haul. It did — the Chiefs landed a first-round pick plus two third-rounders. That gives them a total of two first-round picks, six picks in the top 82 and 13 overall. It’s a good situation for a rebuilding team heading into the draft.
But don’t give the Chiefs too much credit. Elite pass rushers are scarce, and the Chiefs just let one go. You’ve read it enough times that it has become a mantra: Allen led the league with 15 1/2 sacks despite missing the first two games of last season because of a league-imposed suspension. He played like a man possessed, even as many of his teammates seemingly lost interest while their season spiraled out of control. At times, Allen looked like the only player sporting an arrowhead on his helmet who seemed to care. Great pass rusher, underrated run stopper, never-quit motor, fierce desire to win. That’s a nifty combination.
The Vikings paid dearly for those traits, both in money ($31 million guaranteed, perhaps as much as $74 million over six years) and draft picks, and the Chiefs benefited. But Allen was their best player and the heart of a rising defense. At 26, he was certainly young enough to be part of that unit for years to come.
And losing him was entirely unnecessary.
Allen wanted to sign a long-term deal with the Chiefs a year ago, but general manager Carl Peterson said no. Allen had that suspension looming in front of him — it followed his second DUI arrest — and Peterson, who had just sunk a ton of money into running back Larry Johnson, wasn’t ready to do the same for Allen.

sportingnews.com


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