Rumor: DT Jonathan Allen 'would have interest' in playing for Vikings

News broke on Tuesday morning that Washington Commanders defensive tackle and two-time Pro Bowler Jonathan Allen has been granted permission to seek a trade. The Vikings happen to have a significant need at that position, and according to KSTP's Darren Wolfson, Allen would have interest in playing for Minnesota.

"Here's what I would tell you. My sense is that he would have all sorts of interest in being a Minnesota Viking," Wolfson said on SKOR North. "A lot of players would have interest in being a Viking. They've set up an infrastructure here that lends itself to a lot of players having interest in being here. Whether the Vikings want to play ball, whether the Vikings reciprocate that interest, remains to be seen. But to suggest that Allen would have interest in the Vikings, I would say you are accurate in doing so."

As pointed out by KFAN's Ben Leber, Allen is represented by Blake Baratz of the Minneapolis-based agency IFA, who also represents Adam Thielen, C.J. Ham, and others. So that's another potential connection to the Vikings.

With that said, going after Allen probably doesn't make much sense for the Vikings. It certainly wouldn't happen via trade, given that the Vikings don't have draft picks to give up and won't want to take on the $16 million or so that would come with the final year of his contract. If the Commanders can't find a trade for Allen — which seems fairly likely — they'll presumably release him. At that point, the Vikings could potentially have interest, but it would have to be at the right price.

At his peak, Allen was among the best defensive tackles in football. He made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and '22, combining for 16.5 sacks in those two seasons. In '21, his 67 pressures in the regular season trailed only Aaron Donald among interior defenders, according to PFF. The 17th overall pick out of Alabama in the 2017 draft, Allen has 42 career sacks in eight seasons.

But he may not be the same player anymore. Allen recently turned 30, and he missed nine games last season with a pectoral injury. Originally believed to be out for the season, he returned in Week 17 and had a big game in Washington's divisional round win over the Lions. For what it's worth, Allen's PFF grades have been below 60 in each of the last two seasons after sitting in the 78-85 range over the previous three.

With the contract that Allen is likely to command if released, given his track record of production, he might not be the most logical target as they look to upgrade at defensive tackle in free agency. Younger players coming off their rookie contract — such as Milton Williams (Eagles), Osa Odighizuwa (Cowboys), and Levi Onwuzurike (Lions) — fit the mold of what GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah typically goes after in FA.

This is also a loaded NFL draft class at the defensive tackle position, with several likely first-rounders and plenty of other potential contributors on Day 2 and Day 3.

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