The Seattle Seahawks almost traded for Jared Allen last season and now they could be on the verge of signing him, as Allen is making a second free agent visit to the team and the teams he likely will sign over the Over Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings and Washington Redskins, who also reportedly had interest.
Allen is coming off of a solid season with Minnesota after having 11 sacks and the Vikings are letting him go since he will be 32 years old this coming season and is out of their price range now. According to Pro Football Talk, Allen made a second visits to the team and he could be getting closer to signing now that he has done that.
ESPN.com reported that Allen met with the Cowboys and now that they signed defensive tackle Henry Melton, it looks like Dallas will not be signing Allen despite losing DeMarcus Ware this offseason. Allen comes into the season after having 11.5 sacks last year and he has had at least 11 every season he was with the Vikings and he is one of the most durable players at his position in the NFL after not missing any game for Minnesota over the past six years. Allen will be 32 years old next season, but he has shown no signs of slowing down and with over $12 million in cap space, the Hawks could sign Allen and still have room to make other moves.
Allen has nearly 130 sacks in his career and the fact that he will cost less is a good thing for Dallas, as they do not have too much to spend under the cap now even with letting Ware go. The team signed Brandon Weeden as a backup quarterback and Ware heads to the Broncos after getting paid $13 million this season and $20 million guaranteed and Allen wishes he will make even close to that money now. Allen could also be in the mix for the Raiders after they signed Tuck and LaMarr Houston and they could look to add Allen as well.
Ware got a deal that was worth about $10 million per season and while Allen will likely not get that much money, it could be in that wheelhouse for him. The Seahawks were one of the best teams at getting pressure on the QB last season and adding Allen could add even more to the defensive line and they come in after ranking first in the league in passing yards allowed per game and seventh in rushing yards allowed per game. The team ditched Red Bryant and they could look to another name at the defensive tackle position after Melton went to the Cowboys.
The Seahawks are Super Bowl champions and while they have let players like Golden Tate and Walter Thurmond leave, they did keep Michael Bennett and one reason for those losses is the fact that the team needs to sign back Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman in the future along with Russell Wilson at quarterback. Allen now appears to be the top target for the Seahawks, as ESPN.com is reporting that the Hawks are a top option for Allen to sign with now that the Cowboys appear out of the mix to bring him in.
