The Minnesota Vikings ended the first day of NFL free agency with a bang when they agreed to an extension with cornerback Byron Murphy. The front office has decided that they could just as well start Tuesday with a big signing, too.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (among others) is reporting that the Vikings have agreed to a three-year, $60 million contract with defensive lineman Jonathan Allen.
Allen was released by the Washington Commanders on Friday when they were unable to find a trade partner before the start of the new league year. In his eight seasons in Washington, Allen collected 42 quarterback sacks and garnered Pro Bowl honors twice, being selected in 2021 and 2022.
One of the big weaknesses the Vikings have had over the past few seasons has been the ability to push the pocket and get pressure from the interior on defense. Allen should be able to do quite a bit to fix that, and given what we’ve seen over the past two years there’s no reason to believe that Brian Flores won’t be able to get the best out of Allen as the Minnesota defense continues to evolve.
Once we find out more about the structure of the contract we can discuss it. . .at the present time, no specific details have been released. However, the Vikings are continuing to show that they’re serious about filling the gaps in their roster and continuing to build on the success they had in 2024.
Welcome to Minnesota, Jonathan Allen!