There’s still a market — a robust market — for former Washington Commanders 1st round pick and 2-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.
Allen, who played in 2025 with the Minnesota Vikings, signed a 2-year, $28 million contract on Thursday with the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Sources: The Bengals are expected to sign 2x Pro Bowl DT Jonathan Allen to a 2-year deal,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account. “Allen started all 17 games last season for the Vikings and had 68 tackles and 3.5 sacks.”
“Jonathan Allen must have had a fairly robust market for CIN to do a 2yr/$26M deal with him, considering the $8M base salary guarantee from MIN,” Bengals fan Andre Perrotta wrote on X. “We need more info on the contract, but I suspect that CIN will be paying Allen >$8M cash in 2026, in which case MIN would be completely off the hook for their $8M guarantee via the offset.”
The Vikings released Allen on Thursday in a salary cap move.
“The Vikings are expected to release DT Jonathan Allen due to salary cap constraints, per sources,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on his official X account on March 4. “The former Pro Bowler had 68 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 17 starts. The Vikings are $40-plus million over the cap and need to get under, thus the move.”
Allen signed a 3-year, $51 million contract with the Vikings in March 2025 after he was released by the Commanders to free up $16.5 million in salary cap space.
“$8M of Jonathan Allen’s 2026 salary is fully guaranteed,” Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti wrote on X. “An outright release by the Vikings here frees up $6.5M, while a Post 6/1 Designation can open up $11.2M (in June).”
Vikings Moved Quickly to Sign Jonathan Allen
While Allen’s release by the Commanders wasn’t much of a surprise, it was a bit shocking how quickly the Vikings moved to sign him.
“Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen has reached an agreement with the Vikings on a three-year, $51 million contract,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on March 11.
From ESPN: “Free agent DT Jonathan Allen‘s visit to Minnesota … makes sense from a need standpoint. The Vikings haven’t had a classic interior disruptor in the two seasons Brian Flores has been their defensive coordinator, forcing some creative personnel usage. Allen and Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell overlapped in Washington when O’Connell was an assistant coach there.”
Former Commanders 1st Round Pick Lands $28 Million Contract in AFC