After two visits with Seahawks, Jared Allen picks Bears
Mar 26, 2014, 6:02 AM | Updated: 9:28 am
By Brady Henderson
A deal that was once thought to be all but completed is now officially dead. Jared Allen isn’t coming to Seattle after all, instead agreeing to what is reportedly a four-year deal with Chicago.
The Bears announced the deal on Wednesday. It’s reportedly worth up to $32 million and includes $15.5 million guaranteed.
This marks the conclusion of a story that has included some twists.
A deal between Allen and Seattle seemed imminent when the Seahawks brought the defensive end in for a second visit late last week. ESPN’s Ed Werder reported that the two sides were putting the finishing touches on a contract, but Allen’s agent then told reporters that his client would take the weekend to consider not only Seattle’s offer but others.
The Seahawks – in the market for a defensive end after parting ways with starters Red Bryant and Chris Clemons earlier this offseason – were holding out hope that Allen would accept their offer. Coach Pete Carroll, though, suggested in an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio that there was a limit to how much Seattle could pay Allen given the contract extensions that are looming for several key players.
“We’re very restricted in what we can do, you know?” Carroll said Monday. “We have a lot of work to get done here on our roster and a lot of guys we’ve got to work with and we’re excited about extending and stuff like this.”
That might have been a sticking point for Allen, whose deal with Chicago will reportedly average $8 million a season.
Signing Allen would have marked a significant splash in an otherwise quiet free-agent period for the Seahawks. Seattle has added only two players, and neither wide receiver Taylor Price nor offensive lineman Steve Schilling were starters on their previous teams.
