Former Viking Jared Allen traded by Bears to Panthers

Allen, 33, is the NFL’s active leader in career sacks with 134, and 18.5 of them – more than against any other team – have come against Lions quarterbacks.

September 27, 2015; Charlotte, NC, US; Carolina Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson (95) gets carted to the locker room after an injury during the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium.

The writing was on the wall for the Bears to part ways with Allen the moment the team switched over to a 3-4 defense, forcing the veteran pass-rusher to play a position he had never played in what figures to end up being a Hall of Fame career.

Greg Hardy left for Dallas (and because of his off-field issues, it was correct for Carolina not to re-sign him). The Panthers will also be on the hook for the next two years of Allen’s deal ($16.5M), but none of it is guaranteed. This season, Allen played in 3 games, recording 5 tackles but no sacks. It was the ninth time in their last 10 regular-season games the Panthers held an opponent to under 100 rushing yards. The Bears paid Allen a roster bonus of $11.5 million in March. Even though his performance was questionable at times in these years with the Bears, the Panthers have an opportunity to immediately score big with his addition.

If the Bears are being honest with themselves, they know they don’t have many cornerstone players to build around at this point.

Allen previously was as consistent as anyone in the league, outing up double digit sacks every season from 2007 until 2013. The choice to exchange Jared Allen Monday bodes well on paper on the grounds that he wasn’t a fit for their 3-4 protection and he was taking up significant snaps. This may not have been the best move by the Bears however, as Jared Allen is probably a better QB than Jimmy Clausen.

“We’ll see how long it’ll be”, Rivera said. One name that immediately comes to mind is defensive end turned outside linebacker Willie Young. Allen didn’t have the impact the Bears expected when they signed him to a 4-year, $32M deal but he was a solid pro and hopefully his work ethic rubbed off on a few of the Bears young defensive players.

The Allen contract became a big bust for the Bears and former general manager Phil Emery. After a disappointing first season with the Bears, he enthusiastically embraced the change and was eager to prove himself at a new position.