Jared Allen Trade: The Bottom Line

Jared Allen led the NFL in sacks last year, despite only playing in 14 games. Now the rumor is that he is working out a trade deal to the Minnesota Vikings and is going to leave this magical city of KC behind.

So, is Chief's Nation to be excited for the magic beans we will receive from Minnesota, in the form of draft picks? Or should we, the loyal fans of the Organization, simply turn a blind eye to the fact that Carl Peterson may be trading away the one key piece to the Chiefs rebuilding effort?

Simply put, Jared Allen is a loose cannon. His drunk driving arrests are perfect examples of him at his worst. He has since quit drinking, or at least didn't drink in excess during the season last year. It must be considered, however, that Allen's year last year was not only coming off of a suspension, but also a "contract year."

With the cunning use of a personal "babysitter" Allen was able to avoid any drunk driving arrests. He slimmed down, then bulked up. He worked every down like a man possessed, and even played some offense. His effort was almost beyond human.

And this is the problem. Jared Allen worked at a pace last year that is difficult to maintain. This problem will be made even worse when he gets the paycheck and the longterm deal. Injury, something Allen has avoided so far in his career, will begin to creep up as he nears 30 years old.

With all of the guaranteed money in the bank he will have less motivation to continue at his breakneck pace. And why should he work so hard? He sacrificed a year and a half of his life to make an impact on the league, with the big contract being his finish line.

Jared Allen completed his objective, and will soon be a very rich man, no matter who pays him. And if he plays at the level he did last season, he will bring much to any team he plays for. But a team like the Chiefs, with a history of wasted money and large free agent contracts, will take less risk and gain more reward by trading Jared Allen away now, rather than wait until he misbehaves again and trying to cut him loose despite the guaranteed signing bonus.

Bottom Line: Trade Allen away while he is most valuable, and before the jury comes back on whether or not he can sustain his breakneck pace of last year. He gets paid, another team takes a risk on a great player, and the Chiefs add even more potential to their rebuilding effort.

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