Former Viking Jared Allen falls short of Pro Football Hall of Fame again

Three-time finalist Jared Allen got one step closer to reaching the Pro Football Hall of Fame but ultimately fell just short of joining the Class of 2023, which was unveiled during Thursday night's NFL Honors show in Phoenix.

A former Viking and one of the best pass rushers in NFL history, Allen made the cut from 15 to 10 modern-era finalists for the first time when the 49-member selection committee — which includes this reporter — met virtually for eight hours on Jan. 17. Allen, however, was denied in the cut from 10 to five.

The final five — fellow edge rusher DeMarcus Ware, cornerback Ronde Barber, linebacker Zach Thomas and two first-ballot picks, left tackle Joe Thomas and cornerback Darrelle Revis — all received at least the 80% approval vote needed from the committee for enshrinement, as did coaches/contributor finalist Don Coryell and seniors committee finalists Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko and Ken Riley.

Allen is understandably disappointed to be turned away three times in three years. But the 40-year-old with the naturally upbeat personality says he'll bounce back as he keeps a lot of his focus these days on his second career — trying to make the U.S. Olympic team in curling.

"Hey," Allen says, "it is what it is."

Allen and Ware had similar careers and started the selection committee meeting in a logjam of edge rushers along with Dwight Freeney, a finalist in his first year of eligibility. Ware ranks ninth on the NFL's official career sack list with 138 ½, while Allen ranks 12^th (136) and Freeney 18^th (125 ½).

Ware and Allen played 12 seasons and were first-team All-Pro four times apiece. Three of Allen's first-team All-Pros came during his six-year stint with the Vikings (2008-13), including a franchise-record 22-sack season in 2011, when Allen finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year balloting by seven votes. Freeney played 16 years and was a first-team All-Pro three times.

Also missing the cut from 15 to 10 were: linebacker Patrick Willis, safety Darren Woodson, returner Devin Hester and right tackle Willie Anderson.

Voters had a relatively brief discussion of Allen, talking for 10 minutes, 53 seconds, but the feedback was the best of Allen's three times as a finalist. Without knowing the reasoning of each selector, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what separated Ware from Allen, but making an All-Decade team and winning a Super Bowl tend to carry some extra weight, especially for defensive players trying to break through.

One reason Allen didn't make an All-Decade team is his career started in the middle of one decade and ended in the middle of the next one. His decade of dominance came from 2004-13 when he led the league in sacks with 128 ½ (Ware was second with 117). In a six-season span from 2007-12, Allen made the Associated Press' first-team All-Pro team four times while leading the league in sacks twice. No other defensive end made first-team All-Pro more than once.

Joining Allen in missing the cut from 10 to five were cornerback Albert Lewis and receivers Andre Johnson, Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne.

Of those five, Allen's four first-team All-Pros are twice as many as any of the other four. And Lewis was in his final year of eligibility as a modern-era player.