Former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen among candidates for Canton

Former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen joins Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson and Calvin Johnson as first-year eligible players to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame's list of 25 modern-era semifinalists, the Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.

Allen ranks 12th on the NFL's career sacks list with 136. Of the 11 players ahead of him, eight are in the Hall of Fame and three aren't yet eligible.

Allen had 85½ of his sacks in six seasons with the Vikings (2008-13).

Allen twice led the league in his 12-year career for the Chiefs, Vikings, Bears and Panthers. He made four All-Pro teams.

The list of 25 semifinalists will now be trimmed to 15 finalists. Of those, up to five will join the Class of 2021.

Joining them are four players who previously have been eligible, but never made the semifinals: Eric Allen, Willie Anderson, Cornelius Bennett and Rodney Harrison.

The group of 25 announced Tuesday also includes Ronde Barber, Tony Boselli, LeRoy Butler, Alan Faneca, Torry Holt, John Lynch, Clay Matthews, Sam Mills, Richard Seymour, Steve Tasker, Fred Taylor, Zach Thomas, Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne, Patrick Willis, Darren Woodson and Bryant Young.

Also on the voting ballot in the coaching category is Tom Flores; in the contributors category is Bill Nunn; and in the seniors category is Drew Pearson.

Between four and eight new members will be selected.

Of the 25 semifinalists, several have been finalists in the past, including Boselli, Faneca, Holt, Lynch, Mills, Seymour, Thomas, Wayne and Young in 2019.

Manning is a record five-time league MVP and held several career passing records when he retired after 17 seasons; he missed 2011 because of a severe neck problem. He played in three Super Bowls, winning two -- one with the Colts and the other with Denver. He was a quarterback on the All-Decade Team of the 2000s.

Woodson, who played cornerback and safety with Oakland and Green Bay in his 18-year career, won a Super Bowl with the Packers, lost one with the Raiders, and made three All-Pro Teams.