After spending the first eight years of his NFL career with the Washington Commanders, the team that drafted him in the first round in 2017, former Alabama star Jonathan Allen has found his new home.
The Commanders chose to release Allen late last week to save $15 million against the cap. The former Pro Bowler has seen a decline in his play the last couple of seasons and recently turned 30 years old. He still had a robust market, however, and just landed a big contract from a team that obviously believes he still has a lot left in the tank.
The Minnesota Vikings have signed Allen to a 3-year contract worth $60 million. Allen will bolster the interior of a Vikings defense that is flush with talented edge rushers. He should see a lot more one-on-one opportunities with DC Brian Flores running the show for the Vikings.
Allen enjoyed a highly productive career during his time in Tuscaloosa. He was part of the 2015 National Championship team and in 2016 he put together one of the most dominant defensive seasons in Crimson Tide history.
Allen finished 7th in Heisman voting as a defensive lineman and won the Nagurski, Bednarik, and Lombardi Awards as well as being a unanimous All-American.
An Alabama football flavor in Minnesota
Prior to last season, the Vikings had zero former Alabama players on the roster. They added Dallas Turner and Will Reichard in the draft last season, traded for Cam Robinson mid-season, and have now added two former Tide players in free agency this year.
On Monday, the Vikings reached a two-year contract agreement with Ryan Kelly. Kelly and Allen were teammates on Alabama's 2015 National Championship team and are now reunited in the pros.
It remains to be seen whether the Vikings will bring back Robinson to join the four other Alabama players now on Minnesota's roster. He is an unrestricted free agent and his testing the market. There's been big money thrown at offensive tackles already in this free agency cycle, so don't be surprised if a team in desperate need of offensive line upgrades throws a big back at Robinson that the Vikings can't afford to match.