Jared Allen Again a 2022 Hall of Fame Semifinalist, Kevin Williams Misses Cut

Allen hopes to get into Canton in his second year of eligibility.

Former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen is one of 26 modern-era player semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2022. Allen was a finalist last year in his first year of eligibility, but ultimately did not receive enough votes for induction.

For a second straight year, former Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams did not make the cut as a semifinalist.

Allen will presumably again be one of 15 finalists when the list is trimmed down in January. From there, he'll need 80 percent of the vote to be enshrined in Canton as the 23rd Hall of Famer in Vikings history.

One of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL from 2004 to 2013, Allen's 136 career sacks are tied for 16th in league history. He spent his first four seasons with the Chiefs, then spent the next six seasons with the Vikings after being traded to Minnesota. Allen racked up 85.5 sacks in those six years, which ranks sixth in franchise history. That included a 22-sack season in 2011, which is the Vikings single-season record and just one sack shy of the NFL record.

Allen then had stints with the Bears and Panthers before signing a one-day contract to retire as a Viking in 2016.

“I think my career speaks for itself,” Allen told the Pioneer Press in September 2020. “I think the writing’s on the wall and absolutely I think I competed at a level that’s Hall-of-Fame caliber. I think my stats are my stats. When I played, no one had more sacks than me. I got a text the other day that I was one of the top five for fastest sacks to 100. Everybody that’s above me or [just] below me on the list is in the Hall of Fame, so I think the body of work speaks for itself."

We'll see if Allen makes the next round in January as a finalist.

The last former Viking to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was guard Steve Hutchinson in the Class of 2020.

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