Similar to another former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman, Jonathan Allen is staying in a north division. But Allen is going to switch NFL conferences next season.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Thursday that Allen agreed to a 2-year, $28 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. The deal came a day after the Vikings officially released Allen from their 2026 roster.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Kevin Seifert reported on March 4 the Vikings planned to part ways with Allen. The move was a cost cutting one, helping Minnesota become cap compliant before the NFL’s new league year began on Wednesday.
The Vikings saved $6.5 million by cutting Allen.
Allen spent just one season with Minnesota. The veteran defensive lineman signed a 3-year, $51 million contract last offseason.
Prior to that, Allen spent eight seasons with the Washington Commanders. In 126 NFL games, he has registered 45.5 sacks, 67 tackles for loss and 129 quarterback hits.
Allen will play for an AFC team for the first time in his career during 2026.
Jonathan Allen Signs 2-Year Contract With Bengals: Report
Allen turned in a disappointing campaign with the Vikings last season, which helped lead to his release. He tied a career-high with 68 combined tackles. However, he had just 3.5 sacks with 11 quarterback hits despite playing 17 contests.
In 2024, Allen had three sacks and seven quarterback hits in just eight games. The veteran missed nine contests because of a partially torn left pectoral muscle.
The Vikings agreed to pay Allen $17 million as an average annual salary with the hope he would bounce back to his 2021-23 production once healthy. During that stretch, Allen averaged seven sacks per season and made two Pro Bowls.
But that obviously didn’t happen.
Allen was one of two veteran defensive tackles the Vikings released during the first week of free agency. Minnesota also cut ties with veteran Javon Hargrave following just one year.
Hargrave had 3.5 sacks with four tackles for loss and six quarterback hits for the Vikings in 2025. Similar to Allen, Hargrave averaged 8.5 sacks while making a pair of Pro Bowls from 2021-23.
Hargrave was also coming back from a season-ending injury during 2024.
In free agency, Hargrave stayed in the NFC North, signing a 2-year, $23 million contract with the Green Bay Packers.
How Vikings Replace Allen, Hargrave
With one of the worst salary cap situations entering the offseason, the Vikings weren’t in a position this March to replace Allen or Hargrave with a high-priced free agent.
On the first few days of free agency, the Vikings instead made smaller deals to address their secondary. Minnesota re-signed safety Tavierre Thomas and added veteran cornerback James Pierre.
It remains to be seen how the Vikings will replace Allen and Hargrave.
Minnesota could also have another departure along its defensive line this offseason. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Wednesday the Vikings were working on a trade to send veteran defensive end Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles.
During 2025, Allen led Minnesota defensive linemen with 868 defensive snaps. Hargrave and Greenard played far less but each still saw the field for at least 537 defensive snaps.
That’s a lot of playing time to replace along the defensive line. But the Vikings do have nine draft picks in the 2026 class, including three on Day 2.
Minnesota may be aiming to have a very young defensive front in 2026. The Vikings could also target bargain lineman as free agency continues this spring.
Former Vikings DT Jonathan Allen Lands in AFC on $28 Million Deal: Report