Vikings Expected to Release DT Jonathan Allen After One Season

It looks like the Vikings will be moving on from both of the defensive tackles they signed to big contracts last spring.

Jonathan Allen | Images Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings

The salary cap-strapped Vikings are expected to release defensive tackle Jonathan Allen this month, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

The Vikings signed Allen to a three-year, $51 million deal last March, which came with over $31 million guaranteed. Moving on after one season would help the Vikings a bit with their cap crunch, but it's not a huge amount of savings. Per Over the Cap, releasing Allen would create $6.5 million in cap space for the Vikings, who would have to eat over $17 million in dead money.

It's been previously reported that the Vikings are expected to release defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who they signed alongside Allen last March. Neither veteran made the impact the team was anticipating in 2025, and now it sounds like Minnesota will part ways with both players one year after signing them to big contracts.

Allen, 31, started all 17 games for the Vikings last season, leading their DT room with just over 800 snaps. He finished with 3.5 sacks and seven total tackles for loss. Out of 115 defensive tackles who played at least 300 snaps, Allen's 53.2 PFF grade was tied for 77th. PFF grades aren't a perfect metric, but it's notable that he earned his lowest pass rush grade since 2019 and the worst tackling grade of his career. Allen had 6 QB pressures in Week 1 and then had 28 in the final 16 games.

Kayla Wolf-Imagn Images

Prior to joining the Vikings, Allen spent eight seasons with Washington after being drafted in the first round out of Alabama in 2017. At his peak from 2020-22, he made a couple Pro Bowls and was one of the best interior pass rushers in the NFL. He had 67 pressures and 9 sacks in 2021. Allen missed a big chunk of 2024 with the Commanders due to injury, then was released after the season.

If the Vikings do end up cutting both Allen and Hargrave, they'll be in the market for an addition or two to their defensive tackle room this offseason. They do still have Jalen Redmond, who was their best DT in 2025. They also have some useful young pieces in Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, and CFL signee Jaylon Hutchings has a chance to perhaps be the next Redmond. But the Vikings could target a cheaper defensive tackle in free agency, and players like Florida's Caleb Banks and Clemson's Peter Woods may be options with the 18th overall pick in April.