You can count ESPN out on Jonathan Allen and his recent collaboration with the Minnesota Vikings.
ESPN Trashes Vikings’ Big Free Agent Move
The sports media giant assigned Allen-to-Vikings a “D+” grade on Tuesday, mere hours after Allen signed on Minnesota’s dotted line.
Most Vikings fans were elated to land Allen, the club’s first impactful three-technique defensive tackle on the roster in over a decade.
But ESPN’s Seth Walder didn’t like it — not one bit. “I don’t love giving Allen $20 million per year, anyhow (although, again, we haven’t seen the guarantees yet). Allen, 30, missed nine games last season with a torn pectoral muscle, returning in late December,” he wrote.
“His play has also dropped off. After recording 16.5 sacks and reaching the Pro Bowl twice over 2021 and 2022, Allen has just 8.5 regular season sacks over the past two years (albeit in only 24 games). It’s not just the sacks, though. In 2021 and 2022, Allen was a top-10 pass rush win rate defensive tackle; last season, he had an 8% pass rush win rate at defensive tackle, below average for the position.”
The Washington Commanders recently released Allen, so his addition to Minnesota’s 2025 depth chart won’t affect the Vikings’ compensatory draft pick formula.
Walder continued, “His playing time dipped, too, from 79% of defensive snaps in games played in 2023 to 60% in 2024, in part due to the addition of rookie Jer’Zhan Newton.”
“I’ve underestimated the defensive tackle market this year — it’s somewhat surprising given the strong defensive tackle draft class — but given the signs of decline, Allen does not fit the profile of a player I’d want to be spending on.”
About an hour after the Allen move, Minnesota reportedly closed a deal with defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, so the Vikings are on deck to showcase two premium, albeit older, interior defensive linemen.
Heading into a new season, these are the Vikings defensive linemen:
DT: Javon Hargave
DT: Jonathan Allen
OLB: Dallas Turner
DT: Harrison Phillips
OLB: Andrew Van Ginkel
OLB: Jonathan Greenard
No fan is upset about the group, although Walder dampened the mood with his Allen assessment.
Here’s Allen’s Pro Football Focus resume to date:
- 2024: 56.0
- 2023: 59.7
- 2022: 80.1
- 2021: 84.9
- 2020: 78.4
- 2019: 60.5
- 2018: 69.7
- 2017: 78.2
At the peak of his powers, Allen is an elite pass-rushing defensive tackle.
Minnesota is likely done signing starting defensive linemen, but general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could sign one more cornerback and perhaps a second guard after he added Will Fries from the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday.
Walder was also the man who picked the Vikings to finish dead last in all NFL standings last season en route to the first overall pick in the draft. Minnesota won 14 games instead.
The Vikings — Finally — Did the Thing
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.