Upon his enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen is on a mission to claim what he believes is his — and longtime rival Aaron Rodgers is on his side.
Allen’s 2025 Hall of Fame class was enshrined Saturday, and before the ceremony, the Vikings put together a video package arguing that Allen should hold the league’s single-season sack record.
Jared Allen, Aaron Rodgers Argue Vikings Great Holds 23-Sack NFL Record
In the final game of the 2011 season, Allen had a Herculean performance in pursuit of Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record. He needed four sacks to tie the 22.5-sack record and came up with 3.5 sacks and just short of the record.
However, looking back to a scrape with the Green Bay Packers and Rodgers, Allen has voiced his displeasure with the league taking away a sack from him that game.
Recalling a Week 10 Monday Night Football matchup back in 2011, Allen pointed to a play where Rodgers fumbled the ball and was chased and tackled down by him, which was called a sack during the game.
Two days later, the NFL rescinded the sack awarded on the play to Allen and called the play a muffed snap, calling Aaron Rodgers down by a team sack.
However, Allen argues he’s the only one who touched Rodgers as he fell to the ground.
“The reality is I hold the 23-sack record,” Allen said at the four-minute mark of the extended video below. “It’s on film, I sacked Aaron Rodgers, and they took it from me on Wednesday and called it a team sack.”
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Filming himself at the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ facilities, Rodgers came to Allen’s defense.
You earned the all-time single-season sack lead. I don’t care what the numbers say because that phantom [expletive] sack they took away from you would give you the record,” Rodgers said. “In my book, you’re the all-time single-season sack leader, my friend.”
Watch the full testimonial from Vikings, Allen and Rodgers below.
Jared Allen Rips Pants After Getting Gold Jacket
Serious matters aside, Allen had some fun, maybe a little too much, at Friday night’s celebration of the enshrinement.
After putting on his gold jacket for the first time, Allen hit his infamous calf-roping celebration on stage, which caused a bit of a wardrobe malfunction.
Allen turned his back to the crowd and walked off stage to reveal that the right leg of his pants had been ripped in the process of celebrating his induction.
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It was another infamous moment from the Vikings legend who rode a horse at his induction into the Vikings Ring of Honor and in a video announcing his retirement.
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“We’re so proud of him and what this weekend means for him,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, wearing a t-shirt celebrating Allen’s induction, said on Friday. “I know I speak for all of our fans and every member of our organization in saying congratulations to him, how proud we are of him, being a part of our great history.”
